Fate's Crazy Random Happenstance
by Zabu
Summary: Rose struggles to return home to her family and friends, but many islands, pirates, and adventures lie before the end of her desires chase. I don't own One Piece.
1. Chapter 1

Fate's Crazy Random Happenstance

If I don't tell this to someone I will ultimately go crazy. It was all so realistic. Every single moment. They are on my mind constantly. The insane, wild, carefree, and impossible feats that I have seen or more importantly the ones that I have accomplished. It shouldn't have happened, but it did.

I was walking through the woods with a friend of mine. We had gone camping and were bored so much that we had already invaded an imaginary castle of evil fairies and saved the elf kingdom. Yes, I know it's pathetic for a couple of 16 year old girls to have absolutely nothing better to do. Yes, I had more fun than I can care to admit. I had known Tamara for about a year. Who I have deemed "Tam" for the rest of eternity, whether she likes it or not. We were both in theater camp together. We were like a bit and a bridle. She was a serious horsewoman, while my elaborate and grandiose goal was to stay on top of the horse and off of the ground. Her hair blended in with the trees around us. If trees were curly that is. I had to put in a tiny bit more effort to keep up to her speed. No, I'm not short. I'm a nice average 5'6". But Tam is 5'8" and athletic. Me on the other hand, not at all. My theory is that you don't have to be the fastest, just be able to beat the slowest. I was not going to ask her to slow down. No way. I would rather fall in a face full of manure and to show that I was weak.

"Rose! Look!" Tam began enthralled with the mystery that was before us. It was an open clearing. Perfectly circular. Right next to a cliff. "Uhhmm, Tam the last time I check there weren't and cliffs in this part of the Alabama. I also don't believe in aliens." I said confused by this obvious conundrum. It was gorgeous. Now that I was standing in the middle I could see the flowers growing around the trees. I saw the rainbow at its greatest the deep crimson red, a baby blue flower sprinkled with yellow and my personal favorite was the one that was lime green with random purple that looked as if the flower was tie dyed. My first clue was a perfect circle, the exotic flowers, a cliff and whatever Tam had just found. If she thought it was worth looking into then I trusted her judgment. Tam's brown eyes scanned over the rock. I kneeled down to try to comprehend its significance. Darn hair, I thought I as put it back into the usual ponytail of dirty blonde haphazardness. There were symbols on the rock. Oh, did I forget to mention that the encoded rock was right next to the precipice. I don't fear heights, but I'm far from stupid. Tam looks at me. "Hey genius, what is this thing?" Tam inquires. "How should I know," My Southern accent was very strong, but I then reverted to a normal Midwest accent, "We are out in the middle of the woods. Wait no, let me just check the handy dandy book on strange rocks with foreign writing." I respond.

Tam's eyes turned white. No pupils, just snowy white. Any hint of emotion dropped from her face. She turned her head towards me. I panicked. I got up and tried to get the heck out of there. When I turned around I couldn't believe it. The flowers had woven a solid barricade. "Crap, crap, crap!" I yelled. I felt Tams hand on my shoulder. I was freaking out. My survival instincts screamed RUN, RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY NOW!

Too late.

Tam pulled me backwards toward her. Then I was pushed off of the cliff.

Oh, no. I'm going to die. I couldn't scream. The air was being sucked away from my body. I was frozen in fear. I can't believe this. Tam. Tam. Tam. I turned my head just enough to see her again. She was back to normal. Only her mouth was moving and she was crying. I think she was screaming for me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a vortex. A bright yellow glowing form. I looked straight at it. "I'm dead," I thought, "Please let it be heaven."

I broke through the glowing mass beneath me. I didn't feel anything. Not the wind, not fear, not even my own body. "Where am I?" I thought.

I wish I had more time in that golden globe, because what came next was a world of hurt.

BAM! I can't be dead and feel this much pain. That's just not fair. Everything hurt. I've fallen off of my horse enough to know that I was going freakishly fast when I bit the dust. I'm down for a few seconds while I regain the ability to breathe. I hear sounds. People were hollering and making a loud commotion. Feet moving. A lot of feet. My hearing is excellent. If you so much as breathe too loudly, I can hear it. I also hear a dull roar, creaking and birds flying. "Get up." I order myself. I do, but it takes mind over matter. "I hate the world and all who inhabit it," I say. Today is one of those days where you wish you hit the snooze on your alarm a million times and just slept through it. I can't think that. No, I must keep going. I'm on top of something tall. I can see the rooftops of the buildings around me. In the distance is the ocean. I scoot closer to the edge. People with their mouths agape are staring at me intently. They seem to be ants. A are few scurrying around, but most staring. They're staring at me. "What's going on?" I ask quietly.

As I'm doing my best to understand where I've landed, the structure shook. I hold onto the edge. "Ehh, who's this? Nee. I was beaten up here. The view is good. OOIIYY! Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji. Over here!" A boy in a red vest and blue shorts yelled. I wouldn't say that yelled is a good word, because he honestly inhaled enough air that I was surprised he didn't float away. These names. I've heard these names before.

My brain had trouble processing the thought. An anime that I watched. It can't be. But it fits. The names, an ocean, the strawhat. "Hey, are you okay?" Luffy asked me. Now or never. "Are you Luffy?" I ask hesitantly. "I'm Luffy and I'm going to be king of the pirates." I bellowed confidently. I was in shock and denial. I fell off a cliff and died. What is this? Why does nothing make sense? Then again, wait. Nothing in One Piece makes sense. Alright I guess I just have to accept the fact that I'm here. Here and in agonizing pain. Great. I need to think and quickly. "Where are we?" I ask Luffy. "We are on top of Gold. D. Rodgers execution platform. The greatest pirate in the world said his last words here. I will find his treasure. I'm going to be even greater than him some day."

It's been a while since I've started watching One Piece. I run through all the things that it could be. I've got it. We're in League Town before the Strawhats entered the Grand Line. It takes me a moment to realize that I'm in a precarious situation. I'm on Rodgers' execution platform, next to Luffy and everyone below me is staring at us. Could this get… Hold on. The Marines. "*******$******" I say to myself. I know in that moment that I've got to get out of here.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I started to climb down. I fought against the burning pain, because a bullet or two would have felt a whole lot worse. I didn't want to know from experience. "Luffy! We are here to seek your demise! You won't get away this time! Hahahaha!" shouted someone from below. It doesn't matter, you're a sitting duck up here. Just keep moving. "*(^$*&)," I whisper as something comes flying at me. Knowing that in One Piece everything there can kill you given the chance, I thought about a faster way down. I saw that I was close enough to drop down and not get hurt.

Correction, it was a survivable drop, not painless. "I am so weak compared to everyone here," I thought. Dwell on that later and get out now. I dodged the fighting around me. Marines and pirates were fighting each other. Swords were slicing, guns were firing and sometimes brute strength determined the victor. I saw this in the second I wasted watching the battle.

I took off running. I was attempting to leave the battle behind me. My path was suddenly blocked by a house's wall being destroyed. I was startled. "Change of plans. Let's go…" I said to myself. The fallen wall was blocking the only way out. I would have to backtrack. The only problem was that there were marines staring at me. This wasn't a "Wow, get a load of beautiful across the room" kind of look, but a "You're so dead" look.

As superman would say, "Up, up and away!" I searched for any foot holds on the debris behind me. "Stop and face us. Now by order of the marines." I don't have any options. Alone, weaponless, because I still have my wits I will not call myself defenseless, and outnumbered I comply.

They approach my warily. The marines seem nervous. It's just me. "Why are they so anxious?" I ask myself. One of the marines finally has the guts to put handcuffs on me. "No tricks. She's not a devil fruit user. That's a relief." Stated a relieved marine. "No, I'm just a kid." I say. Oh my goodness, I should have feigned that I was an innocent bystander. Let's try it. "When my parents hear about this they will not be happy. My daddy is will not tolerate this kind of treatment towards me. Release me and I will not speak of this again." There are murmurs in the crowd. I am going to act my butt off today. I frown and imitate the posture of a diva. "What are you waiting for?" I gaze at the lanky marine standing in front of me. He shuffles around looking at his feet. He must be the newbie. He tries to avoid my stare by giving me a sideways look. "What." I demand. "What is it?" No answer. I don't have time for this. "Where's the key?" The boy takes a backward step. Someone in the back of the group said, "Hey, girl. We were sent to bring you to Captain Smoker. Let's get going. He has the key." Great, this cannot be happening. "Why does Smoker want to see me? And why does he want to see me in handcuffs?" I received no reply. The group starts walking away. I want to test them. I stay where I am. I think, "What will they do to make me follow them? Are they violent? Kind? I don't know, but I'll soon find out." The boy nudges me onward with the group. Nope, not moving. "Let's go." He says. If I keep up the diva act then a diva would want to get these handcuffs off of her or she will ruin her manicure or something. I trail at the end of the group. I need answers. These guys don't seem prone to answering anything though. It's worth a shot.

"What's going on with the city?" I know the answer, but a normal person wouldn't. "I heard fighting and saw pirate ship at the dock this morning. Who's going to win?" The last part was just bait for them to say something. "Don't worry little girl, the marines can handle this." One of them says nonchalantly. Followed by, "These pirates don't stand a chance. Captain Smoker is going to put these pirates scum where they belong." "They're just lucky that they were able to dock." And the comments continued, but none of them were very useful to me. We arrived at a justice building. Then we waited for about four hours.

After about ten minutes I was getting bored and I had nowhere else to look. I didn't want to be awkward and stare at someone. I also didn't want to look down at the ground. That would show sadness or something weak. Not the message I want to send. "When is he going to be here?" I ask. "Just wait for him. Orders are orders. We wait until he arrives." Conversation time. "How did he get a devil fruit?" I ask. "You ask too many questions." The Marine responded. Since I have a smart alack mouth I respond, "You can't get answers without asking questions. Why, are you afraid I'll go get one myself? It must be a big secret. The marines obviously have a devil fruit tree for their officers. Why else would there be so many marines with those powers? I thought devil fruits were rare?" "Stop talking. The next time you speak without permission you're going to be slapped." The marine ordered like he was about to erupt with frustration and anger. Geez, this guy needs to take a chill pill. He doesn't want to look like a fool in front of other people. All it took was four or five sentences out of my mouth to provoke this guy. That is one short fuse.

Okay, so I'm stuck here with now seven marines, because ten left to help fight the pirates. Angry Andy was still here. I'll just take a nap. I wish, but these floors were no made for comfort. In my boredom I start to hum. Then sing. I have a pretty voice, but I don't want to pursue lessons, because it's not my goal to become a famous singer. Nobody stops me. I go on and on until Smoker arrives.

He is seething rage. His face could be made of stone. I want to melt into the wall and avoid being in his presence. I curl up and try to become invisible. Please don't see me. I am twenty feet away from him at the moment. Smoke is pouring out of him. The smoke is filling up the room fast. I hate tobacco smoke. If I can't breathe then I go into a claustrophobic panic attack. If I thought that he couldn't get any angrier then I was wrong.

"Why are you asleep? GET UP! I can't believe you!" He screamed. He was livid. He scanned the room. The marines were asleep. I'm an idiot. I let my guard down. I should have noticed. I'm an idiot, a stupid dolt. Pay attention to these things. He's going to see me. I haven't been so scared since…. Well ever. I look down and hope that he will calm down soon.

"Get up." Smoker commands. Was that to me? My heart is racing. I cannot stop the fear coursing through me. I know that I will not risk making him any angrier than he already is. I look at him. His stare is glued on me. He was talking to me. I stand up. I was hurting so badly. I fought the pain and try to put on my own poker face. "Follow me." He leads me down a dim hallway that is getting even darker from the smoke he is exhaling.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Smoker leads me into what I suspect to be an office of sort. I'm told that even when I'm absolutely freaking out on the inside that I can produce a convincing façade of apathy. "Becoming the character means thinking like your character." I hear my theater teacher say. He said that a plethora of times. That will be one aphorism that I will not be soon forgetting. He goes behind a desk and takes a seat. I stand there and look at him.

"The chair doesn't bite." Smoker says. "I don't plan on being here long." I automatically respond. That was not a good idea. I need to work on that. Smoker does a double take of me. I bet he's trying to figure me out so he can thoroughly interrogate me. If he does, then he knows me better than I know myself. Something about his face changes. I can't tell what it is, but I know the wheels are turning in there. "You will leave when I choose to let you leave." Smoker tells me. I can't take it. I've waited for hours and now he's taking his time to question me! "What do you want? Just tell me. Be concise and to the point." I say with many years of being a leader behind me. There is no way to imitate this tone, except through undeniable confidence that people will listen to you.

Smoker takes a nice long drag on both of his cigars. What a jerk. The room was starting to get hazy. I'm going to have to deal with it though. "You are a person of interest to the World Government. How did you get here without devil fruit powers? Why were you on Gold D. Rodger's execution platform? Why were you running from the marines? Do you have any connection to the Strawhat Pirates?" He asks. I pause to think. First of all the pirates and marines were fighting in the square. I am not a marine or pirate; therefore I had no reason to be there. I don't want to die, honestly. I know that's crazy, right? Well, any way what made you think that I was on the execution platform? I was on the ground." I answer. I act confused at the end. I raise my eyebrows a little bit and think about a quantum physics discussion. I need to pull this off.

He glares at me. "Cut the crap. That was you up there. I know what I saw." He's 100% serious. I can either tell the truth or admit to something that I didn't do. The truth is a bad idea. Nobody will believe it. I can't make up something while he's glaring at me though. The silence is killing me, because every second that I stall makes my argument less believable. "I don't know." I finally answer. It's the truth to whatever he wants to know. I look down from Smoker's eyes. I'm a rat caught in a trap. There is no way out. He has the key, or so I was told. I have no friends or family to help me out here. I'm alone.

"What's the truth?" He asks me. There is no way I can tell him the truth. I can't fake it. I take a step backwards. "I can't tell you." That is the simple truthful answer. The smoke is swirling around the room. "Yes, you can." He says. You don't understand. I can tell that I look afraid, because I am. I just need to shut my mouth.

I hear him rise from his chair. What is he going to do to me? I watch Smoker as he comes closer to me. Death. Pain. Prison. Those are possible options. Torture. I walk backwards towards the door. "Don't even try. You're still in hand cuffs. It's sea stone and as hard as diamond." This is when hope died. My pulse is freaking out. It's not supposed to be this fast. I'm starting to hyperventilate. I bump into the door. My brain is short circuiting.

Author's Note: I'm proud that I can use some of these higher level vocab words. I hope you learn at least something today. I want to suspense to kill you. It will keep you reading:)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I don't know what Smoker is to do to me. I am up against a wall and trapped in handcuffs. I can't think of anything. Whatever crazy ideas that were racing through my mind only lasted for an instant. Nothing that is being conjured up currently in my spastic and tumultuous mind would get me out of my predicament. "I am dead," I thought.

I jump when I feel a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to be afraid. Whoever is threatening you won't be able to see straight after I'm done with them." Smoker says softly. Then I form a coherent thought, "What am I hiding?"

I have nothing to hide. The thought liberated my mind. The truth hit me like a baseball bat to the head. I'm the world's biggest idiot. I can tell him what happened to me. There is no way anyone would believe my wild tale. Although I do believe that if we don't open a window that I will die from asphyxiation. I was taught to look people in the eye when you speak to them, but right now I know Smoker is staring intently at me. That makes me feel extremely self-conscious and shy. Silence is a friend that I know well, but this silence is a nefarious villain that pressures me to speak. I feel everything closing in on me trying to engulf me. "Do it. Man up, Rose." I order myself.

I look up and say, "Y-you can't handle the truth." I sound so condescending. Inwardly I cringe at my stupidity. "Is that so?" He asks. "Try me." He pulls me back toward a chair in front of his desk. I take a seat in front of the scariest guy I've ever met and tell him the *whole nine yards. While I'm butchering my anecdote with pointless +polysyndeton and awkward eye contact Smoker opens a window. I'm can relax a little now that I can breathe like a normal person. The panic ebbs from my body with each passing word. Smoker examines me. "That was… interesting." He says skeptically. I sigh and think, "What am I going to do now? I am stuck here. There is no return." It finally dawns on me that I will never see my friends or family again. I'm stranded here in One Piece. NO! NO! This can't be. I won't let it. I attempt to deny reality.

The foundation of my world is crumbling underneath me. Reality and reason are being sucked into a void of insanity and chaos. Just as I was beginning to seriously contemplate my life, Smoker says, "You should see a doctor. What's your name?" "I'm not crazy!" I burst out an automatic response. I ponder about how to explicate my journey. The simple answer is- I can't. He's going to send me to an asylum. Do they even have asylums here? I slump in my chair feeling like I'm about to start a battle I won't win. The sadness creeps into my face and my very being. This is the lowest point in my life so far, I'm absolutely separated from my everyone I know for eternity, I'm a hair away from going to a funny farm, and I'm going to go there smelling like cigar smoke. This admiral or vice admiral or whatever he is doesn't seem so like such a big deal now.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed you. Fortunately I saw you fall from the sky like you said. I'm not sure what to do with you, but you are probably someone of importance. I don't get many random people falling out of nowhere. Would you join the Marines?" Smoker asks me.

I think about it. "Why would I join the Marines? I know zilch about sailing and I am a sorry excuse for a fighter." "No." I tell him. He extinguishes his two cigar stubs on an ashtray. "What do you plan on doing?" He asks. "Not getting killed," I quip instantaneously wishing I could put tape over my mouth. From what I remember Smoker is actually a good guy. I guess he's trying to help. There's a break in his stone set face. It might be surprise or empathy. I don't know. "How will you live? You have nothing. You're a street vagrant now. Nobody is going to hold your hand from now on." He says attempting to reason with me. "I'll live without hand cuffs for starters." I reply apparently ignoring my own advice to stay silent. Smoker glances at my writs, but doesn't stir.

I can get a job, rent a room and get ahead so I can…I'm not sure. I'll meet my perfect guy, maybe have kids someday. That doesn't sound very fun or intriguing. On the other hand, I've seen a single pirate plow through thousands of Marines. My entire future lies in front of me. If I were at home I would know what to do, but for now I try not to think of home. "Any plans so far. Please inform me of them before you leave." Smoker taunts. He leaves me with only one option for now. "Get a job and a place to stay for the night." I tell him. "The world isn't a nice place for fifteen year old girls to be running around in by themselves. I can start you off with errands, paperwork and that sort of thing, since you're not old enough to join. Want the job?" He offers.

I mull over the proposition. "No thanks," I answer. My face is void of emotion, because I've just asked the dealer to hit me. I'll take the chance and see what happens. Besides if I direly need a job then I can come back and beg for one. "Why do you refuse?" He asks. That was not the desired answer evidently, because his tone was challenging me to a fight. "Do I need a reason?" I quip. "Yes. If you give me any more back talk I will throw you out of here as you are. I can't let you just walk out of here without knowing that you'll be alright in the future. Your parents aren't here. My conscience would bother me if I didn't help you." Smoker says. If I'm thrown out as is, then I would become the town fool. Nobody wants a criminal or idiot around them and with handcuffs on I'm labeled as both.

"I'm seventeen, not 15," I lie, "I can take care of myself." The walls that usually surround my mind are back up now. I normally don't have deep conversations about myself to strangers. It feels like people can see inside me and poke around. My friends are a different story. My stomach grumbles. Being terrified distracted my hunger for a while. When I am hungry I am not a happy camper.

Smoker stands up and starts to exit the room. "Follow me." He orders. He must have heard me dying of hunger over here. I follow him, but to the protest of my body. As we continue on my mind leaves my body. It was nearby and still controlling me like a puppet master. My body was becoming exponentially sluggish and unresponsive. My vision is getting fuzzy. I try to push myself, but it is too much for me to handle. I surrender.

Author's note: *everything. It's an American idiom. +and… and …and… and …

I have some questions.1. Is my work really worth reading? 2. What bugs you about my writing style (not plot)? 3. Do I overuse any words? 4. Do you think I could do this professionally?


	5. Chapter 5

Tam is sitting in front of a judge. "For murder of Rose Esmeralda you will receive the death penalty." A booming voice rings out. That's impossible. I'm right here. Armed guards begin to lead her away. "Stop! I'm here! Wait! I'm alive! You can't take her!" I yell with each word becoming more panicked. There is no reaction from anyone. I run towards her, but I don't get any closer. My cries become a repetitive mess. My only goal is to save my friend. I would rip apart anyone that stood in my way. The animal instinct inside me erupts in raging fury. In the blink of an eye I see Tam strapped to a chair. A doctor is testing his needle. I try to stop him, but it is futile. "Find One Piece." Tam says. She stares straight at me. "The answer lies with the treasure of Gold D. Rodger." She orders me. Her voice is flat. It's as if she's not about to die. The doctor slides the needle into her arm. "You cannot die. If you die, then I die with you. Our futures are intertwined." Tam states. This is impossible. "No! This can't be happening!" I roar.

I'm in heaven. Everything is white and smells like bread. Nothing can be better than this. I snap out of my delirium and realize that I'm in the infirmary. Tam! I leap out of bed and search for her. I have to find her. I have to get back home. It looks different than before. What happened? I begin to get frustrated. The scene seemed so real. I could touch it. She was in front of my eyes. Something is wrong. I don't realize it at first, but that illusion was a dream. A warning I suppose. My heart slows down. Find One Piece. I have to sail to the end of the world. "Ugghh! This quest is impossible, like I would survive the Grand Line. I can't leave her though. Tam depends on my life." I say to myself. After a quick evaluation of the room I discover that I'm the only one present and that the food quality around here is equivalent to a school cafeteria. The thought that Tam's life rests on my shoulders scared me. I have an all out emotional meltdown. Eventually I calm down enough to stop crying. Now it's game time.

The door opens to reveal a petite woman with short midnight hair. She analyzes me like I'm her opponent. "Doing well? I'm Tashigi." She introduces. "Hi, I'm Rose. I'm okay." I answer. I will never say that I'm hurt when I can deal with the pain. I will ask for help only if I'm profusely bleeding or unable to move. "That's good. Since you're finished the doctor will take a look at you now. I'll lead you there." Tashigi says. "I don't need to see the doctor. I'm fine." I reply defensively. "I'm only following orders. Don't shoot the messenger." She tells me. Well, isn't this just lovely? I don't know how I can refuse. She would only get the impression that I'm actually hurt and hiding it. I go along with her. After an uneventful checkup Smoker shows up to talk with me. "You can change your mind about becoming a marine." He informs me. How generous of him. He will allow me to die for a "just" cause. I know that the marines are corrupt and dysfunctional. They allow slavery in Sabaody Archipelago. On the other hand I need training. There is no possibility of arriving at the famed treasure without working for it. This is a golden opportunity. "I believe I have changed my mind." I say. I thought that he would be pleased with the sudden change of heart, but he glares at me. "Why?" He says. "I have no life. I need to do something good with it. I need a purpose." I reply. That seems to satisfy him. "Welcome to the marines."

0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 000000000000

Training was grueling. The sergeant, Mr. Tinny, breathed down your neck pushing everyone to excel. "Your life depends on…." He would drone. I tuned out the words I had heard a million times. It was his favorite type of "motivation". If that didn't work then you would personally see the underside of his boot. Twice was enough for me. One time it was worth the pain though. The comeback was so hilarious that the two dopes around me couldn't do anything, but fall to the ground laughing. They got their reparation for unintentionally ratting me out. It was difficult physically, but not mentally. I learned all the basics. In weaponry I was a failure. My sword fighting was… I won't go into it, but if I hear, "The sword is an extension of your arm!" one more time I will chunk the sword at the nearest person. I couldn't find my niche.

I was enduring kitchen duty with the second most annoying person I've ever met. The most annoying person beat this guy only marginally. I finally had enough. For three torturous hours I remained calm. I made derogatory remarks, but this guy Rerk was not stopping his one sided conversation. He had seen my swordsmanship or lack off and knew that he was my better. "You're a disappointment. You're supposed to be a star. Smoker always asks about how you're doing. He never worries about anyone else..." Rerk blabs, "Why don't you jump off a cliff? You would be a terrible marine." I would normally think of Tam at a time like this. She is the sole motivation for going through this hell. Fighting outside of training was prohibited unfortunately. "Why don't you take a long walk off a short cliff?" I quip. "Do you wanna fight? I can take you on. I've seen how much you suck." He responds ostentatiously.

My blood is boiling. I clench my fist around the knife I'm holding. No more. If he wants a fight then I will bring my A game. My face is dead serious. Without thinking I throw the knife at Rerk's chest. He was caught off guard by my sudden violence. The blade hits his shoulder with stunning speed. That was not where I was aiming, but I'll take what I can get. He looks in horror at his wound. The blade is four inches into his shoulder. He jerks backward. "What did you do!" He shrieks. He pulls the blade from his shoulder and sprint out of the room.

It turns out that he ran to the infirmary. The next stop was to tell Smoker that I had broken the rules and attacked him. The only comment Smoker made was, "Why didn't you dodge it?" I got punished later, but I found the perfect weapon that day.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sergeant Tinny frowned upon my new skill. "Knife throwing is a redundant skill. Anyone can throw a knife. The marines use swords, guns, and brute strength. All other skills that we don't teach must be practiced on your own time." He ordered me.

That put a huge hole in my plan. I had no knife, no time, and no help. I drudged along with training. I could begin to sense when attacks were coming my way. That instinct saved my face from a ridiculous amount of attacks. Seriously, why the face? What did my face do to them? I know that I need be aggressive to sail on the Grand Line, but I need a weapon. I decide to steal a couple of small knives during my next kitchen duty. The plan went flawlessly. I was nervous, but acted like I knew what I was doing. Half the battle is keeping calm. I began to sneak out of the base to practice with my newly acquired knives. I improved, but the knives were barely better than butter knives. I need to come up with a better idea.

"How are swords and guns made?" I ask sergeant Tinny. "You have a sharp mind kid. You should know by now that you don't stand a chance of graduating. Creating weapons might be right up your alley. After dinner come back here and I'll take you to our blacksmiths shop." He tells me. This is the best thing that has happened to me so far. "Thank you, Sir." I say cheerfully.

Later I learned that I was competent enough for the blacksmith to request me as his assistant. What Sergeant Tinny said was true. I couldn't graduate. I was strong enough, but I never got the hang of a rifle or sword. My superiors determined that I would become a blacksmith. I was irate about others controlling my future. They didn't even ask me. Sergeant Tinny told me one morning that I was reassigned to the blacksmiths shop.

It was backbreaking work. I survived with five out of ten of my fingerprints. Maybe I should just burn all of my fingerprints off. Then they can't track me for any crime I may commit. Oh right, that's in my world. Here they don't know about dusting for fingerprints yet. I reminisce about my former life. After a while I force myself to come back to the real world, or my current world I should say. I have got to get out of here. I will not be stuck here forever.

When Tay was out I experimented with all kinds of metals. I created the ideal knife. It might not have been ideal, but it was close enough for me. A ten inch blade was the product of an all-night smelting spree. I produced smaller blades, but my pride and joy was Atlas. The knife was going to support me throughout my fights. Graduation neared for the other marines. "Time to get out of here." I said to myself.

I filched some regular clothes and cash. I prepared myself with finding the recent wanted posters in a few bars around town. The bars were immensely different from the marine base. I got a few cat calls and unwanted attention. I tried to blow by all of them. The pianist was playing an old timey western song in the background. I couldn't help myself. The music drew me away from the wanted posters across the room. I knew that song. My path was blocked by a large man with a wicked grin on his face. "I haven't seen you are here before, doll." He said. I had been singing softly to myself, but the sudden conversation startled my personal bubble of naive happiness. I started to speak to him, but my brain was stuck on Home on the Range. He heard me and froze. I stopped singing. After a few seconds he was back to normal. Why did he freeze up on me? That's strange.

"Can I buy you a drink? Anything you want. Just ask me." He tells me. This must be some kind of luck. There is no way I'm going to accept a drink from a stranger. I need to get out of here. "No thanks, but the offer is quite appreciated." I answer. I turn back towards the door. He stops me. Well, this is terrible situation. "I asked you if you wanted a drink. Is it so hard to accept a drink?" He whispers in my ear. An idea formed instantly. I picked up where I left off in Home on the Range. It took a moment before he froze, but my genius plan worked. His eyes were slightly wider and his face went blank. I yanked my arm out of his grip and walked out. When I was outside I heard, "Hey *Jefe! What did she say to a big bad devil fruit user like you? You let the girl up and walk out of here."

So, I can paralyze devil fruit users. This is going to be interesting. Many of the most powerful pirates are devil fruit users. Zoro, Killer, and Shanks are "normal" people. There may be others, but those three are the ones I remember from watching One Piece.

I set out with a merchant ship the next morning. I never realized how little there is to do once you're at sea. I made a knife holster for Atlas and a holster that went over my shoulder for my smaller knives. The journey was uneventful. The marines had given licensed vessels the technology to cross the calm belt. The excitement of entering the Grand Line was stifled by the apathetic crew. To them the Grand Line was just another place. To me the Grand Line was where my adventure was really going to start. I was barely able to talk my way onto the next ship. They were skeptical about a girl traveling alone with a dozen knives strapped to her body. In the end they relented. It all went well until we were heading to Alabasta.

I was looking for something in the captain's office. Some paper about history and culture of Alabasta I believe. I heard the gentle hum of a machine. I found that odd, but I really didn't care at the moment. I kept looking for the paper. Shortly after that I heard yelling sailors yelling "We're under attack! Gather arms men!" Oh crap. I can't lose, no matter what happens, I must live. If I must swim to the next island and abandon the merchant crew, then that is precisely what I'm going to do. I rush out of the cabin to an onslaught by pirates in white bio-hazard suits. I dodge a swift kick and start to attacking the enemies. Really it's like target practice. They're wearing white suits for crying out loud. They should come with a sign that says, "Kill me now!" To my surprise the merchant crew is getting their butts handed to them. I feel the attacks coming with increasing frequency. I catch a glimpse of their submarine. The only pirate that has a submarine is Law. He has a devil fruit power. This is going to be incredible. Men fell groaning in pain around me. I wasn't going to be able to keep up with this pace. "Where is he?" I ask myself. I sprint to an open spot on the ship when I see a huge polar bear flying my way. A tiny piece of my brain tells me that polar bears are dangerous and should be avoided. Death should be avoided. That is a better plan in the long run. I see Law's blue sphere of power coming near me. Luckily the sphere doesn't reach me. I see Law standing in the center smiling sadistically. "What a kindhearted soul. If he even has a soul," I think sarcastically. I become distracted when I block a few incoming punches and swords. The sweat begins to run down my face as if it's a 110 degrees outside. All I need to do is captain saunters toward me. I'm struck by a stupid problem. What do I sing? Anything, he coming closer. For the love of the Tam, just sing something. If I wait any longer I'll be dead meat.

"Stop. Stop the attack. There's no need to fight. Just leave us alone and sail away. Please go in peace to sail another day." I sing. My alto voice dips into the lower range and soars to the upper levels with a minuscule amount of grace. My song was lilted in an almost an Irish or Celtic way. To my own ears I sound like the amateur that I am, but nothing makes sense in this world anyway. I'm going to accept the fact that a powerful pirate isn't going to kill me today, because he can't even roll his eyes at me right now. "Captain! What's wrong! Stop her!" Came the cry of a sharp witted subordinate. I have drawn everyone's attention to myself. I whip out Atlas and try to stop the the barrage of new attacks. A feel a massive pain in my ribs as I fly across the deck. I finally took a hit. Honestly, I should scrammed when I knew it was a strong pirate. Thank you common sense. You've been so helpful recently. I'm here and I will make the best of it. Which currently means getting back up to not get pummeled any more. I duck, because I sense that I am being attacked. I was right. The polar bear, Bepo, crashes into the wall. I resume singing in a vain attempt to regain control of the ship. The battle is almost over. Men are strewn across the deck, some are in pieces, some are only heavily wounded, and some are inevitably dead. "Captain don't listen to her. Don't go near her." Ordered one of Law's men.

I was thrown at the wall that Bepo had crashed through. The pain from the attacks was negligible since I had become so much stronger from training in this world, but the pain in my muscles from enduring such a long fight was intense. I rose and caught my breath. "Leave while you can," I think. I messed that up already.

Then what is plan B? Fight I guess. That is the worst plan I've ever come up with. Let's improvise.

I run out of the room heading for the stairs near the back. I know the layout of the ship. I use that to my advantage. I'm out on the deck before I spot anyone. I am going to swim to the next island. I'm aware of the monsters that swim in this ocean, but they are trivial compared to the pirate crew on this ship. I sprint for the railing. "Room." I miss what Law said, but I do notice the blue sphere. In a moment of utter gracefulness I trip over my own feet. My head soars over the ship. I had no clue what was happening. The fight sounded like it was over though. Everything starts to spin rapidly.

My head slows down and lands in Law's waiting hand. This is so creepy. I look for my body frantically. "Don't worry." He says. I would give almost anything to wipe that freakish smile off of his face. It's concerning how much he enjoys disseminating peoples lives. "My crew warned me to stay away from you. Why would that be?" He asks. I don't respond. He tosses my head into the air. "Stop." I order. "Answer my question Miss." He tells me. I reach down into myself to come up with an acceptable response. He lifts my head up and down. "I'm waiting."

"I'm such a fantastic fighter that your crew was scared I'd beat you." I told him tauntingly. "Oh, really now. Is that the truth? Would that answer match up with what Penguin has to say? Nothing was left out, correct? If your answer doesn't match his exactly, then you will be like the rest of your crew. "My" crew was annihilated. Someday I will mourn their deaths, but not now. There is no point in hiding my ability. The crew witnessed me using it. I tell him what happened and what I can do. "Penguin, is this true?" Law asks. "Yes, sir. Every detail, too." Penguin tells him. Law stares into the distance. I bet he's thinking about whether to kill me now or to wait until after he dissects me. Neither option is pleasant. I have a valuable strength. Devil fruit users have amazing abilities, but I can bring them down. The down side is that I have to be close enough for them to hear me. Meaning, I have to get close to them and stay alive in the process. It's not a simple process. It sounds easy, but I can now say from experience that it is bloody challenging.

**Sorry for any mistakes, but it took me forever to get this chapter written.**

*jefe is Spanish for boss or chief.

Dartya- I took my SAT this Saturday. I'm glad that's over with. Life is pretty normal right now. Thanks for the review:)


	7. Chapter 7

"Captain, there's a ship coming toward us." A crew member tells Law. "Whose ship?" Law asks. "I'm not sure. But they're pretty close already since the the submarine blocked our view." He replies. Law turns his attention back to me. "Join my crew. Join or die." He says eloquently. No one can accuse him of being around the bush. Do I join the insane and cruel pirate or die? Dying is honestly more appealing, but in my heart I know that I'm going to become part of his crew.

"I'll join." I say. "Good," He replies. He puts me back together. I can't stop the shudder that automatically comes over me when I'm whole. Some things will never be normal. I observe the my new crew raiding the ship for supplies. I try to lend a hand, but the crew gives me the cold shoulder. They take the boxes out of my hands claiming, "We got this girl. Don't need you to break your back lifting some of this heavy stuff." "I can do it. I put this stuff on here. This is only seventy pounds." I tell them angrily. I'm ignored. I want to make a good impression on the crew. I won't get any respect if I'm the girl who can't work. I go outside to get out of their way and to hide my embarrassment.

There's a fight on the deck. One of the merchant's must have been hidden somewhere until they were found by one of Law's men. I recognize the cabin boy, Jack. Jack is way out of his league. Penguin forces him to kneel before Law. "What do we have here? Miss, please come here." Law says gesturing to me. I walk over to Jack and Law. Law becomes deathly serious when he tells me, "Kill him." I'm stunned. I've never killed anyone in cold blood. When people are trying to kill me, I don't care what happens to them, but I can't just kill Jack.

I have an internal struggle about whether I value my life above Jack's. I look at him. Jack is no longer plotting how he's going to get away. He's staring through my eyes and into my soul. He wants me to figure out how to save us both. I'll try. "Get up." I tell Jack almost stuttering. I grab a sword from a victim nearby and hand it to him. My muscles are burning intensely from the effort of lifting up a sword.

This won't last long. I wait for Jack to make the first move. He doesn't. He only looks at me. There's an awkward pause where we neither of us is willing to initiate the battle. "If you don't kill him, then he will suffer agonizing pain by my hand. Boy, do you want a quick and almost painless death, or do you want what I have in store for you?" Law asks. Jack recognizes that Law has some gruesome trick up his sleeve.

Law's words were the impetus needed to initiate the fight. Jack took a wild swing at me with his sword. I may be tired, but another rush of adrenaline kept me on my feet. I avoid his attack easily. Jack starts to flail around chaotically. My conscience wouldn't allow me to strike a child. I pity this trapped eleven year old kid. "Now or never." Law says.

I grip my knife trying to do the right thing. My hand shakes uncontrollably when I raise it up. I can't overcome the wall in my head. I'm not a murderer. He cannot force me to do this.

I put my knife away. There are no words for what I feel now. I feel rage, passion, regret, triumph, and exhilaration pulsing through me. These emotions seem like they would contradict each other, but curiously they compliment each other. I look Law in the eye and say, "No."

"You're part of my crew now. I give orders. You follow them." He informs me. "I won't do it." I state fearfully. "Do you know what happens to those who defy their captains?" Law asks. I take that as a rhetorical question. "Shachi, finish the kid off." Law commands. I stand between Shachi and Jack. I'm a hero. I'm a tragic, stupid, and illogical hero that's about to die for a kid I barely know. We will both die. My sacrifice will be for nothing. Shachi draws near to me and I unsheathe my weapon. My movements are fluid and certain now. I am not going down without a fight. Shachi leaps at me trying to put me out of action. I take a hit, but Shachi's foot is bleeding profusely from a ten inch stab wound. I scramble to reach Jack before anyone else does.

"What's going on here?" Calls a strange voice. The ship that was spotted earlier pulled up next to the merchant ship. Law's crew must have been more focused on my fight than the approaching ship. I ignore him and continue to limp towards Jack. He's rushing over to me, but he doesn't make it. A strange person has picked him up. "Now tell me kid, whose ship is this?" The strange man asks. The stranger towers over Jack like a skyscraper. His arms are incredibly long. I am shocked by the piano key teeth. I realize that it's Apoo.

"My father used to own it." Jack answers. "Used to? Who owns it now?" Apoo asks. Jack is clueless. "I don't know. Rose, I guess." He answers. No! Why did he have to mention me! "Excuse me, but I'm the owner of this vessel now. I suggest that you leave." Law tells Apoo. "Take me with you!" I plead. "You're part of my crew. You cannot back out of our agreement Miss Rose." Law says. No, Law you're bloodthirsty. I'd have to be insane to stay.

"Please take me with you. Anything! I will do anything." I plead earnestly. Law frowns at me. "You're staying Rose. The boy can go with Apoo, but you will not leave." Law orders. "Why do you want to leave?" Apo asks me. "He's a creep!" I exclaim. Apoo laughs at my answer and puts Jack down. Jack runs to me. I protectively put my arms around him. "Are you siblings?" Apoo asks. "No." I say. Apoo gives me an odd look. That was not what he was expecting. I don't care.

Law's crew has surrounded the deck like animals getting ready for the kill. "Leave." Law says. Apoo examines the situation. "As you wish." Apoo tells Law sarcastically. Apoo motions to Jack and I as he begins to walk away. I walk as fast as I can to follow the pirate captain and future supernova. Law blocks our exit. "Miss Rose stays." He tells Apoo. "Why is she so important? Let her choose who she wants to work for." Apoo replies. "She made a promise to join my crew. She did choose." Law rebuts. "The choice was to join or die." I inform Apoo. This could end in a fight between to notorious pirates. It could also end with me keeping my promise. I am repulsed by the latter thought.

"Why does he want you to stay so badly? Why doesn't he care about the other kid? Now this is intriguing." Apoo asks. I don't want to give away my secret. "I have a useful power." I respond hesitantly. "Which would be?" Apoo questions. "Enough. Apoo leave now or I will be force to kill you myself." Law raises his voice at Apoo. This situation is getting heated now. One wrong step or word could spark another battle on this ship.

Apoo turns to face me and says, "Joining a pirate crew is serious business. The only way out is if you or your captain dies. I'll drop this kid off at the next island, because for some reason I'm feeling considerate today." I fall to my knees when I realize that I'm stuck with Law. I feel like all the air in my body has been sucked out of my body. Apoo leaves with Jack. Apoo is only taking Jack, because he wants to pick his mind for useful information. I'm not bothered by that. I was so close. Law's crew, I mean, my crew resumes gutting the ship of anything of importance. I forlornly watch as Apoo's ship sails out of view.

Law nonchalantly makes his way over to me. He extends his hand to me. I resign myself to the present situation. I accept his help. "Grab your stuff." He tells me.

I find my bag and return to Law. I am resentful, but not infuriated by the recent turn of events. My hands sweat as I imagine the future. I want to go outside and lay in the sun. I haven't seen artificial light in half a year. I already hate the submarine. I'll be confined and imprisoned. It hasn't been a problem so far, but I'm somewhat claustrophobic. I reach Law as the crew takes the last of the supplies down to the submarine. "Miss Rose, I expect that there will be complete loyalty to me from now on. Where do you want your tattoo?" Law says.

"What tattoo?" I query. My marine tattoo is on my left arm. I twitch nervously. Pirates and marines are bitter enemies. "The tattoo of my Jolly Roger." Law answers. "Oh, um...right arm, I guess." I manage to spew out. He raises an eyebrow at me. I am clearly hiding something. My acting skills have gone down the toilet after being ignored for many months.

"Let's go." Law says. I trail behind Law and enter my new home. "Miss Rose, come with me to the infirmary." Law orders. No, I don't want to go. I associate infirmaries with the nightmare about Tam. My brain urges me to follow Law. I force myself to deal with the pain as I walk along. Shachi's last kick hurt more than any blow I've ever had to deal with. I hurt my crew mate Injuring an ally is taboo. I smell the room before I see it. It reeks of chemicals.

We enter the room to find Shachi already waiting for Law. Shachi glares daggers at me. He hates my guts. Law fixes up Shachi and then me. "Welcome aboard Miss Rose. Pull up your sleeve." Law tells me. I show him my right arm. Law examines my arm to decide where to place the permanent ink engraving of my loyalty. "Let me see the other arm." He orders. I comply. "So, Miss Rose, you were once a marine. What made you leave?" He asks calmly. Wow, I assumed that he would flip out once he discovered my previous occupation.

"It's a complicated story." I divulge.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't reveal to Law that I'm from another world. "My parents died when I was young. I have a few memories of my parents, but they aren't very helpful. My grandma raised me. She died a year ago." I look away from Law and cross my arms. I pretend to struggle with what I'm about to say next. "I had nowhere to go. There were debts that had to be paid. My home was taken away, along with most of my belongings. I was desperate. I had just enough money to get one last drink at a bar, where I ran into Smoker. We talked and I ended up joining the marines. I didn't meet the requirements to graduate from marine academy." I blush when I admit this outstanding feat. I am wholeheartedly ashamed that I couldn't graduate from basic marine academy. "I left and worked on merchant ships to get closer to One Piece. Now I'm here." I told him. I lied to my new captain smoothly. I paused when I spoke about the death of my grandma, but not when I mention my parents. If this story were true, then I would be used to telling people that my parents were dead. The story is absolutely believable.

Law doesn't doubt what I've told him. He somehow manages to transform my marine tattoo into a tribal tattoo with flowers. I question how he is able to create such a masterpiece when he's from the North Blue. How many flowers do you see popping up in the ice? You know what, just accept that the marines no longer own your life. Maybe the pain medicine is taking effect, because I just feel like a hobo that got hit by a low flying train. Wait a second, would it be more accurate to say that I feel like a person that tries to push open a door that clearly says pull, and then cannot figure out the puzzle that isn't there. Is Bepo is potty trained? I feel like the walls are shifting. How tall is Law and why does he wear a squirrel on his head? I'm going to go sleep somewhere until the world makes sense again.

I spend the next few days getting to know the crew and ship. The sub is surprisingly spacious. I have to share a room with two guys, Penguin and Kaz. It's honestly not a problem, except when they took their shoes off. The stench could cause a dead skunk to cringe. I gagged and almost threw up. We promptly fixed that problem. They are never under any circumstance going to take their shoes off anywhere near me. There are more bunks on the sub, but for now they are vacant. Kaz is one of those lucky few that possesses the ability to tell a story. After the first story I had tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard.

Shachi limps, but soon he recovers. He has a reserved hatred for me. When I try to hold a conversation with him, I only receive yes or no answers. I notice that he's friendly with everyone, but me. I can only hope that time will mend this wound.

Law has ordered his men to treat me like they would any other crew mate. He will not condone wanton behavior. That doesn't stop me from feeling like a zoo animal when I enter a room. The first day, without fail, whenever I walked into a room everyone stopped and stared at me. Let them stare. Why should it matter to me?

I learn how to navigate a submarine under Penguin's tutelage. I inadvertently become the cook's helper. About four days later, I can't be sure, because there is no night or day in a submarine, I demonstrated my combat skills for the crew.

For the most part, it consisted of me trying not getting my butt handed to me by Bepo. My knives would have been immensely helpful, but they had been confiscated. I dodged and weaved through Bepo's attacks. I was planning on saving my energy until Bepo had worked up a sweat. That plan fell apart when I had a perfect shot at hitting him square in the back. I took that chance and discovered that Bepo is quite heavy. He was in the air, but he used his momentum to ricochet off of the wall. I was not going to allow myself to get hit, because Bepo was dealing out some vicious blows. An hour later Law called it off. He knew that I was proficient in the art of dodge-a-fist and avoid-the-pain. If I had my knives with me, I would have ended that fight in ten minutes tops.

We reach Alabasta the next day. I was off the walls hyper. "Can I have my knives back now?" I ask Law. "No. You don't need them. You will be with me the entire time we are in Alabasta. Don't argue. My word is final." Law orders. "What, I need a babysitter?" I retort. "I was going to look for you, but since you're here I need you to wear your green dress." Law tells me indifferently. "What? How do you...Why?" I ask. He went through my bag when I was asleep. I noticed that a few items were missing when I first awoke on the submarine. "I have my reasons." Law answers with a hint of a full smile on his face. You *BLEEP*. I must follow his order, because he's my captain. He is going to be my ticket to the unimaginable treasure that awaits at the end of this journey. Home.

The dress was an impulsive buy. The feminine side of me could not walk past it. It was on sale at a secondhand store on one of the previous islands. It was a green strapless dress with a black velvet bow around the middle. It was a modest dress that went to my knees. It fit marvelously. I stood back and gazed into a small mirror that was in my room. There were some part of my body that had seen more sun than others. I had such an awkward farmer's tan. It was , it wasn't that bad, but it was noticeable. I returned to where I last saw Law. He barely glanced at me before he started to chuckle. I wish I could stab you Law, I really do. "You are stunning, Miss Rose." Law compliments. "When will you stop calling me Miss?" I ask. "It is custom to address a young lady by the title Miss, until she gets married. Then she becomes Misses." Law informs me. Thank you, Sherlock. I would have never known that, really, my appreciation is inestimable. "No, just call me Rose." I reply. I can't stand it when people call me Miss. It makes me think of my mom. My real mom back home that is waiting for me to come back from a camping trip with Tam. "Miss Rose, I will treat you with respect. That includes using the title Miss when I address you." Law says. I am dumbfounded by this level of consideration and respect. Is this guy for real? I have no comeback for once.

"What's with the dress?" I ask crossly. Law smirks. "Oh, you'll see." He answers pompously. I blush from the blatant snub. Don't treat me like I'm an imbecile. What secrets are you hiding? What's going on? I wish I could ask, but I refrain. If he doesn't want to explain, then FINE.

We enter Alabasta after Luffy has made his mark on society. The buildings are being repaired and a public fountain supplies people with fresh water. "It's so hot," Bepo moans. "It feels like home." I quip. "You come from a summer island then, Miss Rose?" Law hypothetically questions. I am fairly quiet for the rest of the day, because I don't want something to slip out that shouldn't. We spend the day restocking the ship. At sunset we grace a bar with our presence.


	9. Chapter 9

Personally I didn't partake in the consumption of alcoholic beverages, but my crew did. The amount of alcohol that they drank was ungodly. If I joined in this gluttony I would pass out in five minutes. Law comes and sits next to me. "You can have a drink. It hasn't killed me yet, Miss Rose." Law says conversationally. "I'm not big on drinking alcohol." I answer. I await the stupidity that will inevitably follow the marathon drinking competition that has started in the far corner. I can't wait to laugh my guts out. "Why is that?" Law asks. The atmosphere causes me to relax and welcome a conversation. I've kick back and prepared for the circus. "It doesn't taste good. I... well, I don't have a very high alcohol tolerance." I reveal. "One can't hurt." Law coaxes. "Not happening," I dismiss the idea. "How has it been?" He asks. "How has what been?" I shoot back. "Do you like the crew?" He explains. "Yes, everyone is kind and they don't give me any problems." I say.

A rowdy bunch of teens crash into the bar. I can tell by their clothing that they are locals. "Yano! I want an ice cold mug of your best drink." A teen orders. I notice that when the teen waved his hand at the bar tender that his hand had a burn scar on it. "I'll have whatever he's having." The others chime. I guessing that the guy with the scar is their leader. "Have a seat and I'll get to you guys after as soon as I can." Yano answers. They look around for an open table. After scanning the room, they decide that a guy in a fuzzy hat, a polar bear, and a young girl that is awkwardly fidgeting would be the perfect people to share a table with. This group is about as sharp as a marble.

"Hello beautiful, what are you doing in a place like this? Angels are supposed to be in heaven. Are you lost?" The leader flirts. That pick up line is so cheesy. I blush slightly and smile anyway. It's trite, but sincerely sweet. "Why so quiet? I don't bite, I promise." The guy continues. "Well, hello stranger. Enjoying the view?" I banter. "Of course. Anywhere I can see you is a good view." He replies. Law puts his arm around my shoulder. "Come on now, Miss Rose, you know better than to toy with this kid. If he keeps bothering you, I might have to see how his still beating heart looks as I hold it in my hand. I could also reattach his head elsewhere, or I could slice off both of his hands..." Law looks up as if he is deep in thought. "The possibilities are endless." Law tells the two of us. He's having fun messing with this kid. Law intimidates the teen with a wicked smile. I assume that I underestimated these guys, because I hear one of his buddies whisper, "He's the surgeon of death! Don't do anything stupid, Aladdi!" He stops talking and waits for his drink. Law glares at him the entire time. The group down their drinks and hastily leave.

"You have a sick, twisted sense of humor." I tell Law accusingly. "I know. People tend to be horrified by what I do, but their pain is my pleasure." Law laughs. I need a drink. "You can remove your arm now." I inform him. "Tsk, I give the orders. I don't feel like moving my arm. Do you have a problem with that?" He whispers into my ear. Yes, I do. You're embarrassing me. Your body language is telling everyone that we are a couple. There is no way will that ever happen. As a pirate I am required to follow my captains orders. I can't fight him with the rest of the crew around me. Begrudgingly I answer, "No." I want to disappear from existence. I might be overreacting, but I can see all of the flitting looks in our direction.

"You're the worst liar I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, Miss Rose." Law says. I don't respond. "What was home like?" He asks. "Why do you want to know?" I counter defensively. "I'm only trying to make a conversation, because I would like to know something about my newest crew member. What do you have to hide? It can't be nothing." Law informs me while giving me an inquisitive look. "Home was peaceful. I didn't live near the sea. My grandma was pretty amazing. She raised my brother and I after our parents died. She was adamant that she would take care of us. I miss her." I lie.

"See, was that so hard?" Law mocks. I want to stick my tongue out at him, but I can't blow my cover. "Why did I have to wear this dress?" I ask. "It made it easier for me to have some fun. Those guys wouldn't have sat down here if it were just Bepo and I. Also you look nice in a dress. It matches your eyes." Law says. I break eye contact and stare at something else in the bar. "Do I make you feel awkward?" Law teases. "Yes." I say bluntly without a second of hesitation. Law finds this immensely funny and laughs violently. "Gee, thanks." I tell him sarcastically. He just keeps laughing. I am miffed that he is having a great time at my expense. I grab his drink and chug it. It burns like liquid fire. I can't stop my eyes from watering. Law notices and begins to laugh so hard that he's crying. You son of a hamster! "I hate you." I tell him as he's doubled over laughing. Everyone is the bar is staring at us. The embarrassment I felt earlier is nothing compared to now. To most people whatever Law ordered would taste normal, but to me it is Greek fire. I wipe the tears off of my face. I walk out of the bar with whatever dignity I have left, if any.

The stars shine brightly as the cool evening air envelops me. It is much quieter outside of the bar. I am clueless as to where to go now. I just decide to walk down the street aimlessly. I keep the bar in sight, though. "Isn't this just lovely." I say to myself. I miss my family, my home, my friends, and my real life. I sit down on the rim of a fountain. This world is tangible, however if I'm not careful I will forget what is important to me. One Piece is the only thing that matters.

A lone figure makes its way toward me. I can't see his face, but I know it's Law, because he said, "You will be with me the entire time". He doesn't say a word to me. He reclines on the fountain next to me. Now would be a good time to contemplate life or something of that sort. I wonder if the marines missed me when I left? Did Smoker? I've changed since I've been in this world. I instinctively know that I've forgotten something important. The memory is distant. I could be imagining it. My memories of my former life are being replaced by more recent ones. Just stop thinking. I see more people leave the bar and head towards Law and I. Without any words we all return to the ship. What I supposed to interpret Law's silence as? Understanding? Nothing at all? I sleep restlessly wondering about the true motives of my captain.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The next few days are pretty normal. I have genuinely come to like my crew mates I feel alive in the desert sun. It reminds me of Alabama in the summer. Summer vacation when I was as free as a bird. While everyone else, especially Bepo, are sweating lakes. I relish the fresh air while I can get it. Surprisingly enough, we leave Alabasta without causing any major disturbance. I'm not complaining, though.

Alas, we fall back into our normal pattern back on the sub. I help with the cooking, next I train, followed by more cooking, then I assist Penguin in piloting the sub, and then I pass out exhausted. The routine would have become monotonous, except that the crew seems to have a never ending supply of stories. I assume that these stories are filled with hyperboles, if they are real at all. I don't care if they are true or not.

The next island we reach is Drum Island. At some point Law picked up, stole, or blackmailed someone for an eternal log pose that was set for Drum Island. His dream to become the greatest doctor in the world was the reason for this minor setback.

"I hate the cold. I hate snow. I hate ice. I hate this island." I complain. "What are you talking about? This feels great!" Everyone else replies. Kaz throws a jacket to me. "Thanks," I tell him. We set out for the village, minus Shachi who is keeping watch over the ship. Law has given all of my weapons back to me. This is a sign of trust, I presume. I trail behind Bepo and walk in his footprints. I'm the only one who does this. Law, Penguin, Kaz, and obviously Bepo are reinvigorated by the -10 degree weather. As we draw close to town we hear a fight.

A group of no name pirates is raising Cain against Fire Fist Ace. We stop on the outer perimeter and observe the fight. One down, two, four, seven, twelve, and then I lose count. It takes Ace about a minute to finish off this ragtag pirate crew. Rookies. Ace steps back to admire his handiwork.

"Not too bad for someone like yourself." Law comments. "Do you want to join them?" Ace asks pugnaciously. "I don't see why I should, because I can give the order that will take your life away in an instant." Law brags. Pirates have never been accused of being humble. He's talking about me. I wish he hadn't mentioned me. I was perfectly fine with flying under the radar and out of notice. "As if." Ace challenges. "Things are not always as they seem." Law advises. He turns his attention away from Ace and to the nearby buildings.

Law strides toward the nearest bar. Most people would assume he's going in for a drink, but what he really desires is information. It would hurt his ego to ask Ace for directions. Underneath his psycho facade Law is more complicated. He's astoundingly brilliant, when it comes to medicine. He is the most dedicated, egoistic, cruel, and calculating man I've ever met. We follow our captain into the bar.

The bar has a fire blazing in the center of it. Like a moth to light, I immediately crouch near the warmth. As Law gets information from the bar tender Ace squats next to me. "What was your captain telling the truth when he said he could give the order that would kill me?" Ace asks seriously. "Yes." I answer. "How would he do that? I'm the second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates. Tell him that he needs to get his head out of the clouds." Ace says playfully. I turn my head to face him and say, "Some people can really surprise you." I am not going to surrender that information easily. He can try to pick my mind all day, but I have enough cryptic advice to last a week. "Who is going to surprise me? You?" Ace asks. "You never know." I respond bluntly. He looks back at the fire. He must have given up on getting information from me. I could tell Ace what will happen if he refuses to give up on chasing Blackbeard. He wouldn't want his brother to die. Opening my mouth wouldn't change anything. In the real world I loved Ace. Here, it's another story. I look out for number one first, because my friend depends on my life. To have knowledge that would save another's life, but to withhold it from them is frightening. I could change the whole course of history with a conversation at a bar.

Law comes up from behind me and says, "Let's go." I hop up and follow him out of the bar. The snow is really starting to come down now. We find the doctors after trekking a mile on a barely perceptible path. Law waltzes into a dull prison like two story building. "So, this is the hospital of the world's greatest doctors?" I question hesitantly. For all I know Law might want to chop off my head for doubting the skill of these individuals.

After two weeks of freezing our butts off we leave this sun forsaken island. We gain another crew member. Ruyi was a fair skinned, towheaded, medical student of average height. He is the only person that is shorter than I am. He is impatient, energetic, and he almost beat Bepo when they fought. I can't hold a conversation with Ruyi without wanting to strangle him. He's always on the move. All I want is for him to stand still when I talk to him.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"It's so hot!" Bepo complains. If they weren't wearing those jumpsuits they would be fine. They should be more like me, wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Oh well, their loss.

I work on throwing precision and accuracy in the training room. Kaz comes in and watches me practice. I continue as if he never walked in here. "Knives are okay, until you run out, that is. I'd bet that in a fight without them you would lose." He challenges."Against who?" I ask as I retrieve the knives. "Anyone." He brags. "All right." I tell him as a put my knives and Atlas off to the side."Let's go." I say seriously. If he wants to talk the talk then be better be able to back it up with something. I can take Kaz. He's not much bigger than me.

"Are you sure? I'll try not to hurt you too much, damsel. Women are fragile." Kaz taunts. Kaz normally doesn't have Law's smirk, but right now his smirk is an exact replica. I ignore his insults, even though they do get underneath my skin.

Kaz doesn't show any intention of making the first move. I rush towards him and attempt to kick his knees out from under him. He avoids it and aims a punch at me, but I sense it coming. I grab his arm and throw him on to the ground. He gets up before I can do anything else. "Better than I expected," He comments. His sky blue eyes sharply contrast his short black hair. "I can do better." I say competitively. Now that I'm expected to fight to survive, I have become much more arrogant. I understand a pirate's pride. When you know that you survive based on your own skill and the skill of your crew.

Kaz one again chooses to be defensive. We fight for another hour until I punch Kaz in the face. He falls to the ground. Oh no! I've seriously hurt him. It wasn't supposed to go this far. I hear and see his ragged breathing, but nothing else. "Kaz, are you okay?" I ask. I know that the answer is no, but it's the only thing I can think of to ask him. "You alive?" I ask again. I'm becoming more frantic as the seconds tick by. I go and kneel next to him. I shake him and call out his name. No reaction whatsoever. What have I done! "Kaz, you've gotta be all right. Come on get up!" I say fearfully. I need to get Law. I draw my hands away from Kaz's slightly battered form.

Suddenly Kaz leaps up and tackles me. I scream as if a corpse jumped up and bit me. Kaz has me pinned to the ground. He's laughing uncontrollably. "YOU JERK!" I scream. "You let your guard down Miss Rose," Law advises. What! I try to pinpoint where Law is, but Kaz is preventing me from moving. When did Law get here? That guy moves like a ghost. He can go anywhere and do anything without making a sound. It's unnerving.

I attempt to get Kaz off of me, but I'm too worn out to move more than my own body weight. Kaz stifles his laughing to mock me again. "Come on Princess, I told you that you wouldn't beat anyone without your knives. You're just a damsel in distress. If you admit that I'm the most handsome and strongest man you've ever met then I will let you get up." Kaz says. Bepo and Shachi barge in slamming the door hard against the wall. "Is everything okay? We heard a scream." They ask. "Everything is alright. Miss Rose just let the oldest trick in the book beat her." Law says. "Say it Rose." Kaz orders. "Fine. I admit defeat. You won." I claim. "No, that's obvious. What are you supposed to say damsel? I want to hear it loud and clear." Kaz mocks. Live it up while you can kid, because next time will be different. "You are the... uh, what was it?" I ask. "Handsome and strongest man you know." Kaz tells me again. It doesn't matter at this point. "Handsome and strongest man I know." I repeat.

Kaz gets up and offers me a hand to help me up, which I accept. I don't want to seem like a sore loser. "Are you okay?" He inquires. What? I'm puzzled by this question. When I got injured when I was with the marines, my superiors told me that if I was still alive that I was supposed to drag myself to the infirmary. After this treatment I was astonished that someone cared if I needed help. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I ask skeptically. "Just making sure I didn't hurt the little princess." Kay retorts. "What's with calling me princess? I have a name. Use it." I tell him. "If you can beat me, then you won't be the damsel who needs rescuing any more, and the name will go away." Kaz replies. I get my knives and walk out. The pirate pride I had is slowly sinking like the Titanic. "Anyone else wanna go at me?" Kaz cockily invites. " I certainly will." Ruyi accepts.

I leave while they begin to fight. I have the next duty piloting the ship. I take over the controls from Penguin. "Kaz and Ruyi are duking it out in the training room. It should be an interesting match, if Ruyi is a decent fighter." I tell Penguin. "I doubt that it will take long for Kaz to win. He's second only to Law. Shachi and I used to try to beat him all the time as kids, but we never could." Penguin says on his way knew each other as kids? I never asked how the crew began. I will ask someone when the chance comes around later.

"You'll never believe this Rose. Kaz lost. I've seen him do better than that. Do you know what's up with him today?" Penguin inquires. "Umm, maybe he was tired after fighting with me. I'm not very good at guesstimating time, but it seemed to take a while." I say. Penguin stops and thinks about it. "No, it has to be something else." He tells me. "I don't know." I reply. He is about to walk away when I ask, "How did this crew start?" Penguin does a double take of me. "I'm not supposed to say." He tells me. "Why?" I persist. "It is a story better left untold. We knew each other and one day we decided to be pirates. So now we're here." Penguin elaborates. "Thanks for the great story. I'm not sure I'll remember all of that. It was quite a lengthy anecdote." I say dripping with sarcasm. "No problem Rose." Penguins replies as he leaves. So, it's a secret as to how the Heart pirates all began. Sooner or later I'll be able to trick someone into telling me. They don't think clearly after a few shots of booze.

The rest of the day passes like any other, until I fall asleep for the night. A horrific dream plagues my mind. I stand in a pool of blood. I see the face of the first person I killed. Then I see the faces of the few others that fell to the same fate. They ask for mercy, but laugh in their faces. Those faces transform into the faces of my family and friends. I ridicule them also. I gaze at my reflection in the blood. I am taking pleasure in this human agony. I need more. I direly need the highest pain that I can get. I unsheath Atlas. I cut myself with my faithful knife until I can endure no more. Then I stab my heart.

I tumble out of bed panting. The images are floating through my mind. I feel like the basic laws of humanity have been violated. What am I? I rush to the bathroom to find a mirror. I stare at the reflection. It wasn't real. Nothing to worry about. I can't calm down. I begin to hyperventilate. Only a nightmare. I don't need to be afraid of it. It's just my subconscious thoughts. Who has thoughts in the back of their head like that? I have turned into a monstrosity. There was so much blood. Blood from my friends and family. The people I care about. How could I come up with that situation. No, I am not capable of that level of inhumanity. No, I am not capable of that level of cruelty. No, I am not that person. All of that was fake. I swear to myself that I will never lose control of my emotions like my nightmare self did.

After some time has passed, I shove my panic attack into the back of my mind. I long to rest, but I cannot make myself go back to my room. I wander mindlessly through the ship. I assume it is morning from the sounds of the crew moving around. My body feels like crap. Self induced crap that let some crazy fear control her.

"Rose, you're up early today." Ruyi greets me. Go away. Why don't you understand that this isn't the greatest time to have a random morning conversation. I like morning for the most part, but not today. "Ugh. What happened to you? Did you sleep at all last night?" Ruyi interrogates. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine I just didn't sleep well." I mumble. "Rose, what's going on? We're on a submarine. There isn't anything that would keep you up late." Ruyi continues. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." I lie as a walk away. Ruyi isn't convinced by my facade, but he lets the subject drop.

I search for something to fill the time with that doesn't require massive amounts of energy. I go back to the bathroom to french braid my hair. Everytime I try to french braid my hair I end up putting it in a ponytail, because it looks like a six year old did it, but it's not like I'm running out of time. I fumble around with it for a while.

The door creaks as it opens. "You should knock next time." I advise. I see Kaz in the mirror. "Please tell me you didn't get up early to do your hair." Kaz whines. "No." I answer. "Then why are you here? You're usually just getting up at this time." Kaz questions. "I'm here, because I want to be here. Got a problem." I fume. I avoid pulling all nighters due to the fact that I act like a witch to everyone around me when I'm out of energy. "Whoa. What did I do to get your panties in a knot?" Kaz replies. I am aware that my anger was misdirected. Man up and apologize, Rose. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way." I tell Kaz. "Why do you look like a zombie? By the way, is there a reason as to why your sheets are strewn across the floor?" Kaz questions. What's with these people? Why do they insist on caring. They are suffocating me with the constant questions. "I'm sorry," I say. I attempt to leave, but Kaz block the way out. "Sorry for what? What's going on?" Kaz asks. "Nothing. I simply didn't sleep well is all." I say. I plaster a fake smile on my face, but it is almost as convincing as telling a teenager that liver is delicious. "Rose, there's no reason to lie to me. Are you mad about yesterday? If so, I'm sorry that I got carried away. That was my fault. Whatever it is, you can confide in me with. I'm here for you." Kaz claims. He apologized? He is intimidating, because I can't avoid this confrontation. I am puzzled by his statement. "Why are you apologizing?" I ask. "Aren't you mad at me for beating you?" He counters. "No. I started the fight to begin with. You have nothing to be sorry for." I say truthfully. "Why are you being all defensive? What are you hiding, Rose?" Kaz continues. I can't maintain a straight face when I recall the horrific incident of last night. "What is it?" Kaz asks again. "Nothing. It's really nothing. I heard you were beat by Ruyi the other day." I say. He doesn't have to know that I'm tormented by a stupid nightmare. "Don't change the subject. What's wrong?" Kaz demands. He's serious now. "Nothing that you need to worry about." I state. "I'm not going to deal with this. Talk to Law." Kaz commands. He grabs my arm and drags me behind him. I resent the force, but I cannot stop him. I can list a hundred other things that I would rather do than talk to Law. He's one scary dude. He knocks on Law's door and waits for an answer.

"Come in." Laws muffled voice calls out. Kaz pulls me into the room. "I don't know what's wrong, and she won't tell me." He tells Law. He stalks out of the room leaving me alone with the captain. "You haven't slept clearly. Why?" Law queries. I sigh resignedly and say, "Just a bad dream. Nothing to worry about." Law observes my actions and scrutinizes my face. "What?" I ask indignantly. "Was it that bad? You should have some tea. Wait here." Law orders. I sit down on the floor and wait for his arrival.

The tea he's getting is going to be drugged. As a doctor he has tricks up his sleeves. Possibly literally, you never know. Law comes back with two cups of tea. He hands one to me and takes one back to his desk. "What's in here?" I question. "Nothing out of the ordinary." Law answers. He picks up a book and reads it. True to his word, it's tea. Nothing more, thankfully. I'm relieved that he hasn't questioned me further. I drag myself out to help with the chores.

I'm keep hearing the same questions all day, "Are you okay?", "I can handle this Rose, go to sleep.", and more recently, "What happened to you? Were you hit by the ugly stick or something?". I want to stab the world and all who inhabit it. This frustration continuously draws me back to the picture of the crazed Rose that was haunting me last night. I slug through the day. I'm doing this to myself. Don't target the crew. It's your problem, be furious with yourself.

I make it until dinner where I can't take it any longer. I am out like a light. The next day I find myself in my bed. How did I get here? I don't remember leaving the dining hall. I can't recount yesterday afternoon at all. Who did I do I need to thank and apologize to for yesterday.

I get up and start for the dining hall for kitchen duty. "You feeling better today, Damsel?" Kaz asks. "Yes, thanks for asking." I reply. "What was up with you yesterday?" He asks. "Some days are better than others." I answer vaguely. "You're in a confined space. What on could have possibly changed? You push people away. Damsel, you have a bad habit of that. You've been with us for a while now, but we have no clue about who you are. If you wanted to leave, then I'm sure you would be gone by now." Kaz says to me. I ignore his accusations and blow by him. He's clearly been thinking about this for a while. "Rose, what are you hiding?" Kaz asks. He's getting annoyed. Telling him that it's nothing will make him furious, so I keep my mouth shut. "Rose! Don't ignore me!" Kaz shouts. "What?" I ask sassily. I don't turn around, but I stop walking away. "What's your problem!" He yells. "I don't have a problem. You do." I reply getting irritated. Kaz reaches to grab me, but I sidestep out of his reach. "Why do you care?" I ask hotly facing him. His muscles are tensed all over his body. He focuses intently on me.

I can take care of myself. I don't need someone else to help me, because there won't be any help. No one was there for me when I nearly died in training. No one was there to stop the rumors that were flying out of control behind my back. No one cared for me as a person. Smoker, Law, the merchants I've traveled with only want my strength. No one was there when I missed everything I've ever known. No one gave a damn about me, the outsider. It's what I always am here. Absolutely no one will break down the shield I have around my thoughts. What I say can't be taken back. I guard every word that matters, which typically forces my conversations to be bland, boring, and curt.

"You're part of the crew. Like it or not we look out for one another." Kaz shouts. He reaches to grab me again, but he stops suddenly. Law is holding him by the neck. "What's the fight about?" He asks us. He seems so serene, like this happens everyday. "Nothing." I reply as Kaz says, "She's hiding something." I was on the verge of losing my cool. "Secrets can kill Law. You know that." Kaz continues. "She's a danger to the whole crew." What did you say? You son of a hamster. I could slice you up and feed you to the fish. How would you like that? "Miss Rose is there anything you would like to tell me?" Law inquires. "No." I solidly state. "Are you sure?" He asks again. "Yes." I say. "Do you have any past experiences that would put us in harms way?" He asks. Honesty was drilled into me as a child. I wish my parents had taught me how to lie instead. "I am a former marine that personally knew Smoker. He might recognize me, but he wouldn't be a problem, because he's a devil fruit user." I tell Law. "I was already told that." Law responds. Okay, that great, but I answered your question. "Nothing more? Surely there's a reason behind yesterday." Law interrogates. I fold my arms across my body. "My past is not going to hurt you. I am not in debt to anyone, I don't owe any favors, and I have no family left here. End of story." I say firmly.

I walk away from Kaz and Law determinedly. Don't stop me, because that's all the information you're going to get from me. "We aren't finished here. Kaz is right. I'm going to let you two figure out this problem." Law calls after me. I stop walking. Is my secret that precious? Would they care that much? The crew would be able to keep this a secret. I am not going to be the target for stronger pirates or the higher up government officials. "It's safer this way." I reply looking forward at the wall.

When I don't hear any comeback I look back to see Law right behind me. This is the worst position I could be in. He places his hands on my shoulders. They are ice cold. They must be like his heart, if he has one left. He whispers into my ear, "Miss Rose, come with me." I have been holding my breath out of fear. I am as rigid as a plate of steel. Law would have been pleased if he could feel the adrenaline rushing around my body. He take his hands off of me and heads toward Kaz. I assume that I'm supposed to follow him. So I do.

Law opens the door to the training room. It's empty. He turns to us. "Figure it out. Don't come out until you can get along." Law commands as he leaves us. Kaz and I glare at each other until we hear the door close. "Rose, I want to help you." Kaz pleads. "No thanks." I snap. "Why do you have to be like him? You're going down the same path. Do you want to be emotionless? Bitter! Hateful! Bloodthirsty! Ruthless!" Kaz rants. He's getting more volatile as he continues the list. "Rose, I'm not going to let you end up like he did." Kaz promises adamentely. "Who's he?" I ask. "Trafalgar Law used to be a normal person. He enjoyed life. He wasn't seeking revenge back then. He cared about people, about his family." Kaz says with diminishing volume and rage. Are those tears in his eyes? I'm intrigued by his statements and actions. "You said he was seeking revenge?" I inquire. "It's nothing." Kaz responds dejectedly barely above a whisper. "Revenge is a big deal." I say thoughtlessly. "Whatever," He mutters. I have an epiphany that makes me realize that we have switched roles. How on Earth did that happen? Kaz sits on the ground holding his head in his hands. I'm not a people person, especially after what I've dealt with, but he's my... friend. He has been bothering me, because he's right. It doesn't mean I'll tell him though.

I take a few cautious steps in his direction. I will not be fooled by the same trick twice. "Kaz," I tentatively call out. He responds by clenching his hands tighter together. I dare to go closer. "Kaz," I say louder this time. "I'm not going to hurt you. You act like some wild animal. I'm a person believe it or not." Kaz says disbelievingly. I still not convinced that this isn't a trap. Why is he so worked up? I hear a sniffle, which confirms to me that he is crying. Pain. I don't get it.

In the recesses of my heart I have the burning desire to help. How would I treat Tam? I would never allow Tam to sit in front of me and cry. In a leap of faith I sit down and hug Kaz. He reacts like I shocked him with a cattle prod. "***********!" Kaz exclaims in shock. I cling to him continuing to hug him. I wince knowing that I will get hurt. Instead I feel his arms around me. I love the feeling of his warm arms around me. I feel protected from the greatest enemy I will ever encounter. "There was an incident from which Law never recovered. His sister died from the inflated ego of a celestial dragon. He nor his family could do anything about it. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. My cousin died and Law hated the world for it. He loved his sister and chose that he would avenge her death by dealing blows as a pirate. I watched him fall apart at the seams. I didn't lift a finger to stop him from becoming who he is now. He could be different. It's my fault! I won't let it happen to anybody else! I promised myself that a while ago." Kaz tells me. Wow, this is a lot to take in at once. Kaz and Law are cousins. Law wasn't born a maniac, but he transformed into one by the world governments laws. I feel a profound sadness for Law. I know his motives for being cruel and apathetic. The pieces of the puzzle were coming together at last.

A few tears land on my shoulder. "Kaz, it's going to be okay." I say for the lack of better words. This is pathetic, I can't comfort the only person confides in me. "My family... I miss them so much. They're alive, but I can't see them. All I want is to go home. All I want is to get out of here."I break down and tell him. "Where are they Rose? We'll find a way to take you back." Kaz insists. "It won't work. They're in another world, a different dimension you could say. I have to find One Piece to get back to where I belong." I continue. A single tear rolls down my face. Snap out of it, Rose! "You do have emotions." Kaz teases as he releases me from our embrace. "Only sometimes on the occasion." I quip. "How did you get here?" He asks curiously.

I tell him the story of my life. I answer his questions patiently. I smudge a few things here and there about my world and life. There's no reason to over complicate things. The weight of the world is lifted from my shoulders. My lying and half truths are erased. A clean slate is a miraculous thing. We chat until I think my stomach is going to eat itself. "I think everyone else believe that we killed each other." I say. "That is certainly what they could think." Kaz affirms.

Penguin hands me a sandwich and asks, "What did you two do for three hours?" I respond with, "I read his palm and predicted his future. Spending more time with you seemed to make his life worse." I wink to indicate that I'm pulling his leg. "I'll tell you at dinner." I promise.


	12. Chapter 12

For those of you who think that Law & crew are sugar and spice and everything nice, you are wrong.

At dinner I put on a great show of recounting my story. It may have been reckless and unwise to reveal my true origins, but I'm a pirate now, wild and carefree. I tell a story about a girl without mentioning her name. I end with, "Which pirate crew did she join? The Heart Pirates of course." I wait for the information to sink into their minds. I answer most of their questions.

A few days later we docked at Danem island, which I knew from marine training is where they mined seastone. It was a spring island with a amazing climate. We got supplies and then headed for the bar. Everyone was friendly enough, but they were allied with the marines if they were on this island. I mentioned it to Law as we were working. He responded with, "This will be fun." The malicious glint in his eyes told me that the "fun" he was talking about was quite the opposite. "Before you do anything to scare the holy living daylights out of the locals, I need to get some seastone. I learned how to work with it when I was in the marines." I tell him. Seastone was almost exclusively a marine commodity, but not anymore.

"Can you create mass panic while I swipe the seastone?" I ask Law. "That's one thing that I excel at. Most certainly I will." Law replies. "Give me a head start of about twenty minutes while I get to the marine base." I say. "I contain myself until then, but no promises." Law sarcastically remarks. Law informs the rest of the crew of the plan and they continue to head for the bar. "Men and their beer," I complain to myself. Seriously, it's not like alcohol is going to fix anything. I successfully steal as many weapons as I can carry. That would be 2 sword, 12 knives, 3 pairs of handcuffs, and a rather large box of bullets. The marines even saved me the trouble of crafting this stuff myself, how kind. I drop off most of the stolen goods at the sub. I keep half of the knives for myself. I am ready to rumble, bring on the strongest marine here, because I will tear them down. What happened to the crew? Are they still in town? I go to find out.

As I near I see limbs flying around in a blue sphere. Found them. Most of the marines are on the ground already beaten by my crew mates "There's no one left for me." I joke. The remaining opponents are in pieces as Law creates havoc. Law stops toying around with the marines and drops them. Men are horribly disfigured. One has legs, but not arms, others are attached to random objects like chairs. Chairs? Chair people? I don't want to know. "Pick up anyone who seems like they would survive an experiment." Law orders. "What experiment?" I ask naively. "Just a little study." Law responds. "For?" I ask skeptically. "My own amusement. If you must know I'm going to ..." Law says complacently. He lists things that make me take a few steps back. This can't be real. He's not going to really do that. Is he? These experiments are so inhumane and cruel that I am certain that he invented a new level of living hell. How can he do those things! He isn't human, not anymore. I see the rest of the crew obeying his command. How can they help him do this! It's so wrong. In the fullest meaning of the word I can only say that Law is a cruel man. My stomach revolts against with displeasure at these graphic thoughts. I lean over and throw up on the ground. "Miss Rose, are you okay?" Law questions. ARE YOU BLIND? What do I say? You're the creep I first thought you were. You're the devil himself. You're ideas are so twisted that they would make Hitler jealous. You're so awful that you make mass murdering look like a penny on the street. I think before I speak for once. I am so aghast at his intentions that I have to take time to let it sink in. This is my captain. "Miss Rose?" Law inquires. "What!" I snap. "You don't approve of my tests, do you?" He questions. "No." I spout out honestly without a second thought. "Regardless of your feelings, I have given an order. As your captain I expect that all of my orders will be fulfilled without question." Law commands sternly.

"No way! I am not helping you!" I scream vehemently. Law walks toward me with a mission in his mind. "My crew respects me. They never tell me no. You have one more chance." Law says. He is challenging me to disobey him. I shout profanities at the maniac. "You're part of my crew. I couldn't care less if you hate me or adore me, but you're too valuable to lose. The rest of you listen up, Miss Rose will not be leaving us today. If she tries to escape we will stop her." Law orders. I can defend myself against Law. I can defend myself against my crew, one at a time. I can't defend myself when they all attack at once. What if I kill Law? No, that's a bad plan, because the crew will stop me. Being outnumbered with no ship or back up is like being a devil fruit user in the ocean. You get this uncontrollable sinking feeling that you're dead. Although, in my case I'll just wish I was dead. When all else fails don't waste time thinking, run for your dear life. I sprint away as fast as my feet will carry me.

"It's hopeless!" Law shouts after me. He is gaining on me. If he didn't have giraffe legs then this escape would go much more smoothly. The marines could slow him down... Hang on a second, he took care of the marines already. I'm breathing hard from running, but I focus on forcing my voice to sound halfway decent. I begin to sing. I turn my head to see that Law has just been frozen. Yes! Who's awesome? That would be me. When I tune back into reality Bepo is ahead of the crew by using all four legs, but he's disjointed in his movements. Suckers, this is why I don't drink. I race out of sight and take a few turns to keep them off of my trail. I slow down when I think I've gotten far enough away from the crew. How does one get off an island without a boat? Steal the marines' ship obviously. They, okay Law and Shachi, are smart enough to predict that I'm going to be heading there at some point to leave them entirely. I see a green forest half a mile in the distance. Trees don't speak, no matter the price. I have to lie low for a while.

A week and many apples later I sneak out of the woods at night. It was exhausting avoiding them for a week. I was sure that I was going to be found on multiple occasions. I am very lucky that there is only one Bepo. I was paranoid that he would track my scent before I could hide. I decided to swim around the island to get on a ship. Like I said, I was paranoid. As I drew closer to the harbor I find out that the only ship in port is a yellow submarine. Did he sink the other ships? Are they elsewhere? No, they are supposed to be here. I know the rest of the island. The navy is going to send in reinforcements. This island is kept under the radar, because the navy doesn't want pirates to come raid this place. I swim back to where I came from. Another night in the woods, but this time I'm wet. If I could talk to life right now I wouldn't. I would punch sucker punch her in the face. I don't let my anger and annoyance affect my observation skills. My observation haki has been hit and miss. I need to work on it. A wake up to yet another early morning in a tree. My patience is wearing thin. I almost fall out of the tree when I hear cannons in the distance. Reinforcements!

I throw away caution and run to the shore to watch the battle, or escape. By the time I get there, only a fading outline of a navy ship can be seen. I do a victory dance and party with my forever alone self. They're going to... Expletives! My secret also went with them. I have no way to leave this island. I can go back and pretend that Law threatened me to go with him. No, he actually did that, but not until later. The marines are an iffy choice. I would get stuck at some podunk town that no one cares about. There goes my chance at saving my friend. I can wait for someone else to come. I groan at this idea. Best idea, but I don't want to. I tear the bottom of my t-shirt to cover my pirate tattoo.

I enter town to find some people are still alive. I don't think about it. Just don't go there. I have no money, no job, and no place to stay. I smile at a middle aged woman hanging up some sheets. "Hi, I'm in a pinch at the moment. Could you point me to anyone the would hire me?" I ask politely, hoping she wouldn't mention my desperate look. "Oh dear! Come inside. What happened to you?" The woman exclaims melodramatically. "I was in a shipwreck. I floated here on a piece of wood." I lie. "Let's get you cleaned up and fed. Don't mind the kids. My husband is injured due to some pirates that attacked the island a little over a week ago, so he normally doesn't look like this." The woman says.

I stay with Merideth and get a job at the blacksmith's shop. I wear long sleeves to cover up my permanent signs of loyalty. Everything is normal for a while. Inside I was itching to leave this place, but I kept up the act of enjoying myself.

A month later I finally got my wish. I longed for someone, anyone to get me out of here. Life slapped me with Eustass "Captain" Kid. When I find life after all of this is over I will stab her as a laugh maniacally. I know that Kidd is extremely destructive, has a short fuse, and has caused unnecessary civilian damage. "Anyone else?" I ask to the wind. No takers, what a shame. No! Merideth's kids, Gwen and Sean, are in town! "Jake! I'll be back soon!" I shout to my boss as a vacate the building.

He shouts back, but I don't care. I run to the restaurant that Merideth works at. "Pirates are coming! Where are the kids?" I yell. "With my sister in the back." She answers. "Do you want me to take them home?" I ask quickly. "Yes. Gwen, Jake come here!" She calls. The children rush toward their mom. "Go with Rose. Don't argue." She commands as only a mom can. We meet the wrong people on the way out. The pirate crew that I was worried about stands in my way. Worst timing ever Rose, you should win an award for that.

"Out of my way brats. I need food and drink. Lots of it." Kid proclaims. I push the kids back to the kitchen where they will be safe. I wish I could say that this punk didn't scare me, but that would be a lie. I was afraid that they would hurt the kids, Merideth, or someone I know. I can't stop caring about people. It stems from my belief that all human lives are precious. "Want help?" I ask Merideth. "In the kitchen." She answers. "Where a woman should be." States Kidd. The crew laughs at his stereotypical joke. Pirates and their sexist remarks never seem to change. I open the door to the kitchen when someone says to me, "I hope the little lady is serving us today, instead of the old hag." How could they say that! Merideth wasn't that old, and she was pretty. I was stunned that someone would insult the person who had taken me into her own family. I was in the kitchen before I thought of any wonderful comebacks. "Seems as if I will be sticking around longer than planned." I say trying to be light hearted. Sarah had sent the kids home through the back way. "Beer first I assume." I half question. "Yep," Sarah replies. We get drinks ready and bring them out.

"What's wrong with this island? It's a ghost town." Kid asks. "There was a pirate before you who did so major damage to the island." I answer. "How long does it take for a log pose to set?" He asks. "I'm not sure." I reply. "You're helpful, now bring me food woman!" Kid shouts. My anger is slowly building. These are the guys I have to join? I'm joining them, because I don't know if I'll see another ship that isn't with the navy. The log pose has three different routes that all bring them to the Shabody Archipelago, meaning that I could never see another pirate ship again. I bring out their food. "We worked ourselves up a mighty large appetite from the last island where they thought I couldn't tear down their "mighty impregnable fortress". Kid says with a laugh. "Those imbeciles had it coming." Kid adds. "I'm sure they did," I agree bitterly. "Watch your mouth." Kid warns. "Sorry, sir." I apologize insincerely.


	13. Chapter 13

"Do you want a fight woman?" Kid shouts. "Yes, I do. I'm going to win punk." I say with a smile. I haven't spent the last month frolicking in fields of daisies. I can throw a knife before you can blink, but I won't have to for this guy. Kid leaps out of his chair and grabs his gun. He is even taller than Law, which is quite a feat in my opinion. If there were living tanks this guy would be one of them. "This will be too easy. You messed with the wrong person girly." Kid snarls. Quickly before you die or get blood everywhere. I sing and wait for it to take effect. "Shut up!" Kid yells at me before becoming a statue. I smile an omnisciently and pull out two of the seastone knives and place myself in front of Kid without delay. I hold one next to his heart and one next to his ribs. The best place to threaten someone is by holding a weapon next to their head or neck, but I can't reach his altitude. I sing, "One wrong move could end his life. He's beat, but he does not even know it. The battle is over. The winner has won. If you want him to live he needs to leave this town without making a mess."

I stop with enchanting sounds of my voice and prepare for Kid to reanimate. He looks troubled when he doesn't find me right where I was before I paralyzed him. He takes a step back away when he notices two knives close to vital organs. I follow his movements exactly. "How the **&***& did you do that?" He screams. "If you want to live, let me join your crew." I offer. "You! I wouldn't let a woman on my ship!" He answers. He raises his hands and says, "Repel". Atlas obeys his command and drags me away from Kid. I fumble with the buckle to get it off of me. It's not working, because the buckle is made of metal also.

"Attract." Kid says. Forget this, I have seastone. I throw a knife at him and hope that it doesn't make him any angrier. It hits his shoulder and takes him by surprise. He tears it out swiftly. "Now you've done it. You're dead." Kid roars. I can't die now. I can't die now. I use my other knife to cut through the leather holster wrapped around my waist. I don't finish. Kid grabs me by the throat when I get close enough. "It's going to be fun watching you die." Kid gloats. I hear my new family screaming at him to stop, but he ignores their pleas. It's getting harder and harder to breathe. I need an advantage. I take one last gulp of air and pretend to die. I let my eyes close and body go slack. I hold my breath hoping that he's overconfident in his strength. I can't see what's going on, although I can hear my adopted family crying and screaming. Kid throws me out the door of the restaurant. I gasp for breath like a fish out of water. I live. Viva la Rose! I scramble to get up before someone else notices that I'm alive. I see a blonde man with a weird mask approach me. "Told you she wasn't dead." He mumbles through the small circular holes. How he can speak with that thing on is beyond me, but now is not the time for a chat. I back away as I undo my knife holster from my body. Killer is leaping toward me with his scythes whirling menacingly. I dodge barely missing being sliced in half.

I've got to finish what I've started. I face Killer ready for the next attack. He tries to use sheer speed to beat me. I duck to avoid the scythes thanks to my improved haki. I use a knife to stab him in the side as he rushes by me. Killer rebounds to attack again. I run on pure instinct, because Killer is about as fast as a bullet. Before he reaches me a second time I withdraw Atlas. His blades are coming close, but they are stationary this time. I am knocked backward by the force of his blow, but I remain standing. I desperately throw a knife at him in an attempt to stall for time. Killer knocks the airborne object out of his way like a fly. He stops.

I don't know what's going on, but it can't be good. I bit off more than I could chew, and now I'm choking on it. I don't feel anyone aiming to kill me. I scrutinize Killer suspiciously. I glance at the restaurant door where everyone has gathered. Kid is glaring at Killer unhappily. "No. She is not going to be part of my crew. That's final, even you won't change my mind." Kid says to Killer. "What did you do to Kid earlier?" Killer asks me. "What do you mean?" I retort. "The singing. What was that for?" He insists. "I don't know what you're talking about." I deny. "Don't try that with me or I'll finish you off." Killer threatens. This guy is way out of my ability to kill, so I relent. "I can... paralyze devil fruit eaters." I tell him cautiously. "Think for once in your life Kid, instead of resorting to violence. All of the marine admirals have devil fruit powers. Man up and do the smart thing. She is a woman, but clearly she can outsmart you." Killer says seriously.

Kid pauses and seems to mull over the thought of being able to take out marine admirals with ease. "I hope you're right Killer. If not she will be sleeping with the seakings. Don't expect any special treatment wench." Kid states. I did it. "Rose are you out of your mind!" yells Merideth. "Sorry! I appreciate what you've done for me. I really do, but my future awaits." I yell back at her.

"By the way, we might not want to stick around here too long, because this is an undercover marine base. They mine seastone here, which hasn't been kind to you captain. If word gets out that another pirate crew is on this island they are going to send in the heavy artillery." I inform Kid. "Great, more marines, lets get out of here." Kid says.

I run to get my belongings from Merideth's house before Kid decides to leave me on this island. I leave cash for the table for the family. "Where ya going Rose?" Jake asks me. "I'm leaving now. Tell you mom thanks. Also tell her that I'm sorry that I did this and that I couldn't tell her the truth." I say quickly as I run out the door.

Kid's ship is creepy. A skull on the front of their ship is just begging for trouble. I am used to the steadiness of a submarine, so the rocking of the ship catches me off guard. "Where are your sea legs? Don't tell me you're a newbie." Someone comments. "Honestly, I've been sailing on a submarine for the past month or so. I was a member of the Heart pirates." I say. If they have a problem with that, then I can at least escape to the nearest island which is slowly fading into a memory.

"You what!" Kid shouts. He had to see the doctor to get his wound bandaged, and he is furious about it. He grabs my arm and pulls up my sleeve to reveal that I indeed spoke the truth. "Why did you leave the Heart pirates?" He asks. "Law is a psycho." I tell him. "So am I. Are you going to leave me crew too?" He barks. "No, I'm here to stay, unfortunately for you." I shoot back. Kid lets go of me and slaps me across the face. "Don't get smart with me if you know what is good for you." Kid growls as he stalks away. I have never in my life been slapped. The indignity of such a thing makes my blood boil. "Take it and move on, it's better this way," I think. These people are not my friends. I don't have friends. They were too cowed down to stand up for the basic rights of humanity. They were spineless cowards. Kid can't be any better, though. You had to join them Rose. Them or the marines. The navy hides their evil. Kid embraces the truth about his awful actions.

I follow Killer to the sleeping quarters where I throw my bag on an unclaimed bed. "Why did you start a fight with Kid?" Killer inquires. "So I could end up here." I answer. "Why are you a pirate?" Killer persists. "Life happened. I was offered the choice of either join the Heart pirates or die. Thus began my life as a pirate." I tell him. "What's with the mask?" I ask. "None of your business." He gruffly states. We don't speak anymore for the day, but another crew member, Heat, gives me a tour of the ship.


	14. Chapter 14

I can't say that I like the Kid Pirates more than the Heart Pirates. I'm only doing this for my friend back home. I've had doubts about my dream, but hey at least I have something to keep me going. We land on another island about 6 day later. It doesn't have any marine base on it, therefore making our job easier. What I assume is X Drake's ship has arrived before us. His ship closely resembles a marine ship, how imaginative.

"Get everything done before you start doing anything else or you will be meeting the painful side of my boot!" Kid shouts at the crew. There are varying responses of "yes sir" and "that won't be me again".

I mindlessly toil until all the work is done. Conversations go on around me, but I don't join any of them. What is X Drake doing here? More importantly will Kid lose his temper around Drake, because I want to see him become a dinosaur. I will never again be able to see a real live T. Rex. Someone's watching me. I could be paranoid or I could be right.

I turn around to see X Drake on his ship watching the Kid pirates. We're enemies and he's getting to know his competitors. He's estimating how many of us there are, how strong we are, and if we're all human. He meets my gaze for a moment and then watches Kid and Killer talking to each other. He look held no curiosity, but it does seem like he's done and seen it all. "Rose!" A crew member calls. I go toward Killer and wait for him to say something. Instead he hands me a list and money. "What's this for?" I ask. "Things we need." He responds. Fantastic, I hate shopping.

The list has various foods, machine parts, odds and ends, and it ends with "anything else you need" in neat cursive handwriting. Something tells me that Kid didn't write that. The one good thing about shopping is that you can dramatize and invent any story you want, because these people don't know the first thing about you. I became the new teacher on the island, which lead to a considerable discount, the new relative of {insert generic name here}, and the overly obsessed girlfriend. The last one was the most fun, because people just wanted you the hell out of their store. I did pick up some interesting folklore of this island though. On a full moon in a certain pool of water somewhere on the island, it is said that a pure ray of moonlight will transform people. "Into what?" I ask the old storekeeper. "Depends on your dreams." He tells me. "Anyway it's only a myth. Think nothing of it." His face had more to tell. He did believe it. "What did they turn into, your friends? " I interrogate taking a wild guess. "Oh, it's only a story girl." He tries to cover for himself. I leave with this "myth" tantalizing my mind.

If you asked me to define impossible now, I wouldn't be able to tell you. My own captain is a living magnet, there's a man made of rubber, and the guy on the next ship over turns into a massive dinosaur. I might as well sprout wings and fly.

It takes a while to complete my task and by the time I'm done it's slightly dark outside. A full moon illuminates everything as if night itself was on a strike. Time to search for strange pool of water? I think so. Do I want to turn into something else? No, because I would probably turn into something that lacks opposable thumbs. I wander aimlessly through the woods guided by curiosity and foolishness, but mostly foolishness.

Eventually, I find a ring of huge boulders that seem out of place. At this point I'm just about ready to admit that searching for a possibility isn't worth it. I climb to the boulders to get a better view of the surrounding area. Either the last time I went rock climbing was set on easy or something doesn't want me to reach the top or I'm tired, because I've been blundering through the woods.

When I finally reach the top I see it. Being protected by the circle of rocks is a crystal clear pool. Chances are that this is the water that the old man was talking about. It's truly beautiful, a real hidden gem. I wait a minute to bask in the glory of my finding before I leave. "That was so not worth it." I tell myself being brutally honest. This moment reminds me of all the other blonde moments I've ever had in my life. Sitting there reminiscing I lose the fight against sleep. It was far too much work to go back now. I may be a pirate, but I can also be the lazy teenager that I am at times.

As I'm being thrown to the ground and asked "Who are you?", I come to the realization that I made a very, very bad mistake. The pain is not worth noting, although the face above me is. "X Drake, whad'ya doin' here?" I inquire groggily reverting to my southern drawl. "I didn't understand a word you said, but you're on Kid's crew, correct?" He asks. My mind wakes up once I sense 16 people around me, all armed no doubt. "What are you doing here?" I repeat. "You know exactly why I'm here. Don't bother playing dumb. The only woman on a pirate ship must have some presence of mind to stay alive." X Drake threatens. I sit up and examine my surroundings. All or part of Drake's crew is behind him looking like a pack of wolves seeing fresh meat. I get up without looking away from Drake. He neither advances or retreats. I test my luck and walk away. "Where do you think you're going?" Drakes intimidates as he whips out his rapier. "Where I'm supposed to be?" I say, but it winds up turning into a question. "What do you know about this magical water?" Drakes inquires. "It's magical water that turns you into something." I answer honestly. "Does it work?" He persists. "How should I know? What am I the human encyclopedia?" I shout angrily. Not the best choice of words, because Drake moves his thin rapier closer to me. "Turn you into?" He leads. "THAT'S WHat I asked." I state remembering that big dinos could kill me in 5 seconds flat. If I wasn't in a precarious situation I would have hit myself.

I open my mouth, but Drake stops me by pressing his rapier against my skin. "You would be an excellent test subject." He comments. I reach for my knives, but they aren't there. "Rem was so kind as to disarm you while you slept."


	15. Chapter 15

"Open your mouth again and it will be the last thing you do. You're disrespectful and annoying." Drake orders me. It takes every shred of restraint I have to keep my mouth shut. He grabs my arm and thrusts me toward his crew. "Don't let her pull anything on you." He orders. He begins to climb up the rock face. He's having more trouble than I was.

I have hit the wall of exhaustion where everything is funny. X Drake attempting to climb, but he's looking absolutely ridiculous. I can't contain my laughter. I get various punches, slaps, and physical abuse from his crew, but I can't stop. This evidently infuriates him. He morphs into a Tyrannosaurus Rex and uses his head to move one of the boulders out of the way. I stop laughing. If I have learned anything from Kid it would have to be- out of sight is not out of mind, if you can still be heard.

"Bring her here!" Drake shouts. I comply with his request. Clearly neither of us are being reasonable, but his anger is far more tangible than mine. I don't even need to look at him to feel the undeniable hate radiating from him like heat from the sun. He shoves me into the water that's approximately as wide as twice my height. The water is so cold that I'm entirely wake now. His crew surrounds me and I turn around to see what I'm up against. Six men with guns, most armed with swords, and no chance of getting away unless I become invisible. I can see the bottom, but I dive as far down as I possibly can. It's a perfect solid cylinder. I come up gasping for air and out of habit I reach for the edge. Someone kicks my hand away. If this myth is true, then I'm going to end up as a toad or a snake or something awful. I left the Marines when I couldn't live up to their standards and I only really used them to learn how to sail. I escaped from the Heart Pirates when I opened my eyes to realize that Law's ****** inhuman.

X Drake is feared on land, but not water. Where is he? I spot him and dive down again. I "somehow" wind up in front of him. Please don't tell me that I was about to something stupid like attack a future Supernova while his men are watching my every move. I tread water for a long time, or for what seems like a long time. If I were a mermaid I would go down to the bottom and take a nap. I sing Bink's Sake and hold onto the side next to Drake. Even though I'm shivering violently I can't feel my extremities.

"What's that? Up there." Someone points out. I can't function well enough to sing and focus on something else, so I stop in the middle of the song. It's a silver raindrop. Falling rapidly towards us it lands in the exact center of the water. As it spreads out the water starts to glow dimly. I can't help myself. I touch the thing that could end my journey. It feels like oil floating on water. A mild pain crawls up my legs. I think nothing of it, until I think, "Wow, I don't think ibuprofen is going to fix this. That can't be normal." I try to get out of the water, but I'm greeted with the painful end of a sword.

The pain is only in my legs. Oddly enough I keep my legs pressed against each other. Then the truth comes out. "Do you see that?" X Drake asks. A tail. MY tail. My scales are black like my pants were. The transformation moves up to my waist slowly. It feels like my legs are tearing themselves apart bone by bone and rearranging themselves in the worst possible way. I dig my fingers into the ground as I try to lessen the pain. I look up at someone whose features are blurry. I hold out my hand for him to help me out of the freezing water. He hauls me out. It's even colder out of the water.

Blurs move around saying various things that I can't quite catch. I think I hear something about "sickness" and "keeping". I don't notice anyone holding my hands and blowing warm air on them until they speak to me. "Are you okay?" The person asks. To me it sounds like, "Er though k?" I don't respond. I don't feel a thing. Real life isn't connecting with me. The cold and the pain have forced me to dwell within the depths of nothingness in my mind. I register being picked up and taken through a place with many shadows. I detest being pick up. I hate for anyone to have that power over me. I'm not a puppet.

I roar out from the pain of reverting back into my human self. Slightly warmer and not as numb I can feel every scale and every bone moving. Tears stream from my eyes. I clench onto the person carrying me. I don't remember what happened next.

When I come back to the world I'm in a strange dim room. I have a moment of panic when I can't breathe. I struggle against a dozen blankets for a few seconds before I realize that it's just the weight of the blankets. I have a haunted feeling that I've been in this room. It's different, but so, so similar. My legs are a little sore, but it's nothing compared to last night. Despite the amount of blankets I'm still cold. I go back to hiding under the covers and fall asleep again.

The next time I wake up I can tell that I'm sicker than a dog. I search for a trash can or toilet as I throw the blankets off of me. Luckily I find a trash can next to my bed. "Easy there girl!." Gee, thanks for the advice. I really needed that. "Where am I?" I ask. "On board the Grand Escape." He replies in a gravelly voice. I don't recognize that as a ship or a place or anything at all. "What's the Grand Escape?" I question again. "Why you really don't recall any of it? Nothing at all little mermaid? You're on X Drake's ship heading for the next island." The man mocks. I give him more than a cursory glance for the first time. The black stubble on his face makes him look more tired than he is. His crooked nose is a telltale sign that this isn't his first rodeo. His eyes are a plain brown, but they analyze me with precision. He must be the ships' doctor.

I ignore him and crawl back into bed, so I can just die there in peace. Heaven forbid that I waste my last moments talking to yet another hard headed, arrogant, and perverted guy. "I'll have them bring you some water and food if you want it." He offers kindly. My ivory tower is not going to be toppled. I don't even want food or water.

I lose track of everything. I can't tell you who I am or some lie about where I'm from or if I'm okay. Words are beyond me now. I wouldn't have been able to tell anyone at that time, but my body was trying to reject itself. It was turning my world inside out.

When no time after an eternity has passed someone else arrives. They mumble in what I perceive to be German to each other before I feel someone's ice cold hand on my forehead. They mumble some more before someone forces me to sit up. He gestures to the food in front of me. All I want is to go back to my trance like state. He won't let me, though. In frustration I grab the sandwich and start eating it. When he turns around I drop the sandwich on the plate. The other guy who I assume to be the doctor stands up and shoves the sandwich roughly back into my face. I finish everything on my plate after that. They both go away and I go back to sleep albeit irritated by SOME PEOPLES' actions.

The next time I wake up the world is spinning the right way. "Those sleeping pills sure did the trick." A gravelly and low voice boasts. What is he talking about? I slide easily out of bed, only to fall down almost immediately. "Should have seen that coming," he says with a sigh. I struggle to stand, because my legs are unreliable and unbending. "I've got you. Don't worry Miss." The man assures me. He sets me back on the bed. "What's your name?" I ask. This question has been driving me up the wall. I feel like I've known him long enough that I should have at least asked and forgotten his name by now.

"Inigo. And you are?" He states. "Rose." I tell him. "I'll show you around the ship. Hop on my back." He offers. Inigo gives me a piggyback ride around the Grand Escape. It used to be a Marine ship, but X Drake decided otherwise when he set out for the first time in many years as a free man. About half of the Drake pirates went AWOL from the marines. That means I'm not alone in that aspect. The tour ends with me being dumped an office. "Hang out here and don't run away." Inigo jokes.

"Seems like you're finally awake." Another male voice intrudes on my thoughts. I turn to see X Drake. Is it assumed that I will be a part of his crew? "Inigo tells me that you're much faster in water than on land for the time being." Drake says. Is that a question? I don't want to sound dumb and answer, "Yep", "Yeah" or "Well of course you moron, why wouldn't I be? Cause I'm a freaking mermaid!" The awkward silence feels like a spider is crawling up my arm, but some higher power has ordered me not to hit the spider moving toward my face. The longer it stretches the more I hope that it will leave me alone if I don't move. "The Heart Pirates weren't very kind to you, I take it. If I didn't have the same tattoo I wouldn't have noticed, but you spent time with the marines in your past." Drake states his findings as he takes the chair across from me.

Game plan for the future: NO MORE TATTOOS. It gives away more than you think. "Back when I was young and dumb." I reply candidly. "Really... How old are you? No more than eighteen." He questions. "What's today?" I ask. I haven't seen a calendar since, well...umm, let's leave it as a long time. "August third," He answers. No. That can't be right. That means I've been here over a year now! "Are you sure?" I question nervously. "Quite." I'm wasting too much time. Time is one of the most precious gifts. You can never have enough. "Seventeen." "When did you join the marines?" He continues to question. "Last year." "What can you do? What do you specialize in?" He's getting into the serious questions now. "Knife throwing. I am a general deck hand, but I usually I work up high in the sail's rigging." I divulge. "Do you have a bounty yet?" Drake drags on. "I don't know." The sad part about this is that I'm not sure if I want a bounty or not. "How are you feeling?" Thanks for caring, really don't get all worked up now over something as miniscule as my health. "Fine." I say through my teeth. My rule: If you're not currently dying, then you're fine. "Inigo said that you had a bruised rib." What? This makes me stop to look at the ceiling to think. The harder I try to remember the more I forget. "Oh yeah, I was fighting with what's his face and I didn't move fast enough." I blurt out. "Get some rest. Welcome aboard." X Drake finishes his interrogation.


	16. Chapter 16

*I should rewrite this whole story, but time flies (like an ADHD child with coffee). Lessons learned: Don't write in 1st person unless you're writing a diary or something like Stephanie Myers book The Host. Use past tense. I tried to be different and now I realized (3 chapters ago) that there is a reason for almost all books being in 3rd person and past tense.

I spend the next week recovering and immersing myself into my new routine. For a bunch of pirates, they are tame. I didn't spend a long time with Kid's crew, but to kill time they fought one another. When they didn't fight, they were nursing wounds acquired from said fighting. The pirates in true fashion used every underhanded, sneaky, and dirty trick written and unwritten in the book of beating the holy living ****** out of each other. From this description it seems brutal, but Killer was always there to break up a fight, if need be.

This crew won't talk to me. So far they react as if I'm not there. When I try to start a conversation, they don't respond. As the sole female on multiple ships I know this isn't normal. Even Inigo doesn't go past the professional conversation. They're following orders. I'm sure of it.

"X Drake, why does your crew have an aversion to me?" I accuse more than ask. "Took you longer than I thought." He insults. "I'M SORRY! I've only been trying NOT TO DIE!" I scream infuriated. Excuuuuuse me for not thinking clearly. "You don't take criticism well." He retorts. I want to choke him. I'll show you criticism. Instinctively I get close enough to land a hit on the captain. "Clear your head of emotions. When you get rid of the red, the rest of the spectrum is at your disposal." He advises. I tilt my head at these words. I would have said this, back home to my friends. Not verbatim, but close enough. Am I supposed to know these people from home? No, I don't know any people with such obvious anger management issues such as Kid. "Why." I demand an answer. He's debating within himself of what he should tell me.

"To protect my crew. I can't trust you, yet. What kind of power do you have? Kid leaves a wake a destruction wherever he goes. How did you rise above that? Not only to survive, but to gain his approval." X Drake asks determinedly. "You would love to know." I jeer and smirk at him. I waltz out of his office hiding my fear. Even before I closed the door I knew about my mistake. I didn't want to tell him about what I could do. I'd have to make up another lie.

I'm up to my neck in deceit. I wonder if Kid will kill me if I made my way back to his ship. I can't keep ship hopping like I've been doing. I need trust if I will ever reach one piece. With a sigh, I come to the conclusion that if Kid doesn't wring my neck at first sight then I will stay with them. AS long as I feel assured that I'm safe. They aren't as bat shit crazy as everyone thinks they are. I would say it's because they can't destroy their own ship, but to each their own.

Being a mermaid I could traverse the Grand Line on a deep soul searching quest alone to discover more about myself and my destiny, or I could meet back up with them in Shabody. I might not be Hawkins, but my percentage of succeeding in stealing the navigators log pose is 0%. These guys are suspicious of every minute move I make. Heck, when I sneeze everyone in the immediate vicinity openly stares at me. This situation is mocking me. It's like I'm back with the marines, except these men are the antithesis of the marines. I spent the next two weeks hating the world, this one and my own, and everyone. When I was ready to just flip X Drake off and throw myself overboard we spotted land.

I rushed over to the side of the ship to see such a lovely sight grace me with its presence. It was Christmas and I was greedily ripping of the wrapping paper off gifts, or so I felt when I saw the next island. I was too busy being happy and excited to notice X Drake striding toward me with handcuffs. I felt the metal dig into my wrists before I could think to react. I squirmed and struggled to get out, but it wasn't happening. "What was that for!" I turn my head scream at X Drake who is having a hard time dragging me somewhere. "You can come with us, if you tell us why Kid let you join his crew."

How badly did I want this? Too **** much. Is it worth it? If I don't tell him now, this will go on forever. "Fine, I have a special talent of being able to paralyze devil fruit users. Happy now!" I retort. "And how does it work?" He continues. "Want me to show you?" I asininely retort. "Guess you want to see the next island, right?" He persuades getting irritated by my sassy remarks. "I sing." Did I grow a second head or another limb in 2.5 seconds, because that's what X Drake seems to see. "Don't give me a load of BS." He hisses. His crew can tell him that he's wrong.

"_These seas are rough, but I can take it. _

_These dreams are crazy, but I'll dream on._

_These marines are too close to my heels, but I'll change that. _

_These people are wild and free. _

_Ohhh, let them be as wild and as free as they could possibly be. _

_Never sail another day going the right way. _

_See the world and the world sees you on a bounty on the wall."_


End file.
